


Don't They Know it's the End of the World?

by PanSexual_AntiHero



Series: Vaultie and the Ghoul [1]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: But they're long, Canon-Typical Violence, Depression, F/M, Ghoul Husband, Ghoul Sex, Hints at rape/non-con, I know there's only 8, I made up my own stuff, I swear, Idk more depression honestly, Just Conspiracy theory, Major character death - Freeform, Slow Burn, Sorry I do my own thing, Sort Of, long chapters, major plot changes, sad end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2019-03-15 23:10:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 80,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13623447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PanSexual_AntiHero/pseuds/PanSexual_AntiHero
Summary: I used mod details for this. I use the concept art version of Hancock. As well as a mod based Goodneighbor. So a lot is changed there.





	1. October 23,2077

“-It is now the year 2077. We stand on the brink of total war, and I am afraid. For myself, for my wife, for my infant son- because if my time in the army taught me one thing: It’s that war. War never changes..” I smile up at my husband as I rise from the sheets, wrapping my arms around him “You’re gonna knock ‘em dead at the veterans' hall tonight, Hun” I told him, and he let out a soft chuckle “You think so?” He said, turning to me and I whipped my legs over the side of the bed to meet with the soft carpet of the bedroom floor “I know so, that was amazing” I smiled, and he kissed my forehead “We should get dressed” He chuckled and stood, I hummed softly “Fine, Fine” I stretched and let the sheets fall away from my body, and he let his eyes linger with a smile on his face, I rolled my eyes with a chuckle as I stood “No time for that mister” He smiled, hugging me from behind as I walked over to the small closet space “Mmm, we could make time” I chuckled, turning in his arms to kiss him when I hear Shaun’s cries from the next room and pull away chuckling “He can sense it, I swear” Nate muttered softly, “You get dressed, I’ll feed him” I smiled in appreciation to my husband as I turned to look through my clothes, slipping a pair of underwear on, and clasping my bra I pondered on what to wear, Nate wouldn’t be giving his speech until later tonight, so no point in dressing up now. I traced the scar on my abdomen absent-mindedly as I scanned the contents of my clothes, a smile making its way to my lips as I stared at Nate’s army clothes. We really should put it away somewhere more suitable. Maybe our safe. 

I grabbed a simple pair of black high waist pants, buttoning, buttoning up the two rows of buttons on either side of my abdomen, tucking in a simple white short sleeve button up, I slipped on some simple white flats, walking down the hall, hearing Shaun coo softly as he looked around his room with a sleepy gaze, I made my way over to Nate quietly when Codsworth floated over to me “Good morning ma’am, your coffee. 173.5 degrees Fahrenheit-Brewed to perfection!” I looked at Codsworth with a soft, thankful smile at the cup set on the counter “Thank you, Codsworth” as I picked it up, sipping it slowly, looking over at Nate who was reading the paper, I walked over to sit with him, watching the TV that he’d played in the background as I looked around our home with a smile, sipping the coffee as I nuzzled to him when I felt his arm wrap around my shoulder. I smiled contently before I heard the doorbell ring and let out a sigh as Nate leaned his head back to look at the door “It’s that salesman again. I don’t know why he keeps bothering you” He said with a sigh in return as he let me go, so I could stand, I made my way over to the door, setting my coffee cup on the island before heading to the door,opening it.

“Good morning! Vault-Tec calling!” The ginger man spoke with a happy tone, I gave a polite smile “Good morning.” He smiled happily to me as he spoke,“You can’t begin to know how happy I am to finally speak with you.. I’ve been trying for days-It’s a matter of the utmost urgency. I assure you!”I smile to him slightly, trying to hide the slight annoyance at the man “Well.I’m glad I opened the door then” I played along “Please, go on” He gave soft smile “You see, Vault-Tec is the foremost builder of state-of-the-art underground Fallout shelters. Vaults, if you will. Luxury accommodations, where you can wait out the horrors of nuclear devastation-and because of your family’s service to our country, you have been pre-selected for entrance into the local Vault; Vault 111!” He spoke with a voice of glorification into the Vault’s numerical title, and I looked at him “I have a family, are you sure you have room for all of us?” I asked

“Absolutely! With the exception of your uh, robot of course... We would just need some information-Don't want there to be any hold-ups in the unforeseen event of..” he clears his throat slightly, “Total atomic annihilation.. Won't take but a moment!” I gave him a look before thinking back on my husbands speech about war, that we could very well be victim of it soon enough, maybe this Vault idea wasn’t so far-fetched as my annoyed mind is making this out to be. I look up to him, taking the clipboard as he holds it out “Okay, sounds great” He smiled brightly “Excellent!”I wrote down information on my family before handing the board back to him, which he took happily“Wonderful! That That’s everything, I’ll just walk this over to the Vault-Congratulations on being prepared for the future!” He said happily as he walked away as if in a hurry,“Uh.. Thanks again!” I said before shutting the door, turning to my husband who gave a slight chuckle “Hey, It's peace of mind-That’s worth a little paperwork, right?” I smiled to him as he leaned on the island, sipping from my cup of coffee“For you and Shaun? No price is too high” He gave a large smile and laughed “Good answer!” He wrapped an arm around me, and I took my coffee cup from his hands,“I have my moments” looking up at him as I sipped it, and, and he planted a soft kiss on my forehead, I smiled contently with a soft sigh.

Which of course would be Shaun’s que to begin crying, Codsworth floated in “Ms.Nora! Young Shaun has been changed,but he absolutely refuses to calm down. I think he needs some of that "maternal affection" you seem to be so good at”I gave a soft chuckle “Of course,Codsworth,I’ve got it”Nate smiled slightly “You go on,I’ll be in there in a sec to help out”I smiled up at him,and nodded softly as I made my way down the hall to my baby boy’s room,I leaned over the crib slightly,picking him up I held him close while swaying until he calmed down, Nate walked over, leaning onto the door frame “Aw,That’s my boy;On his best behavior for his mom, just like his dad..”I looked over at him with a side smile as I lay Shaun back in his crib “Well..Most of the time”He let out a chuckle and I rolled my eyes as I slowly smoothed back the small amount of matching brown locks Shaun had to my husband. “Hey,I fixed that mobile on his crib the other day,why don’t you give it a spin?”Nate suggested,and I clicked it on with a smile as Shaun looked up at the spinning rockets in amazement,cooing softly. I smiled down at him as he slowly began to fall back into the peaceful bliss of sleep.

“By the way,I was thinking maybe we could go to the park,have a picnic” I gave him a smile “The park? With you? Yeah,because I want to get pregnant again”I joked and he grinned “It's a beautiful day,and the weather should hold up?”he commented in a sing song voice,I smiled in return “It is a beautiful day..” I mutter with a smile “Alright,we'll go after Mr.Grumpy Pants has had his nap” I chuckle.

“Sir,Ma’am! You might want to see this!” I furrowed my brows in slight confusion with my husband as he spoke “Codsworth? What is it?” I peered out the door as Shaun began to whine in a fuss again,turning back I watched Nate pick him up and walked into the living room ahead of him as I looked to the TV where Codsworth floated in front of “-followed by yes,followed by flashes...blinding flashes..and sounds of explosions,we're trying to get confirmation,we seemed to have lost contact with our station in Philli..coming in there are..”The man hesitated as if he didn't dare continue the words of his screen   
“..confirmed reports..I repeat confirmed reports of nuclear detention in New York and Pennsylvania...My god”He whispered with a broken voice before the screen cut to static,I felt my blood ice over in my veins as I stared at the ‘Please Stand By’ screen before I was pulled out of my daze by Nate's voice “W-What did he just say?” He let out as he comforted Shaun as he cried “W-We need to get to the Vault..Now!” I said with panic, “Go ahead,I've got Shaun” I nodded before heading out the door in a hurry.

The world seemed to go by so quickly as we made our way to the Vault,too shocked for words as Nate told the man we were on the list,I felt panic growing like a virus over my body,I zoned back in when I realized we were on the large platform of the elevator,turning to Nate as he stood in front of me,

“Is Shaun okay??” I asked and he gave a soft smile “He's fine,I'm not gonna let anything happen to him”he said reassuringly “I love you” I smiled faintly “I love you,too,hon-” A whistle cut through the sound of my husband's voice followed by a blinding,hot flash. My eyes widen at the sight as a loud roar of the explosion rumbled the Earth to its core,a mushroom cloud filled the sky,my gaze transfixed on it as a sudden alarm sounded from the elevator and it shifted,I kept my balance as I held onto my husband slightly,ducking down into a huddle with him as hot,radiated dust whipped passed us as we were lowered into the Earth,I looked up as the dirt,dust,and smoke rushed over the top before the Vault was sealed shut. Our surroundings nearly pitch black if not for the lights around the circumference of the elevator,panting softly I calmed Shaun as Nate held me to him with one arm. Our neighbors surrounding us talking,some in panicked hushed tones,others were calming,and soothing those who panicked,while some just sat in silence,it was too dark to see but I was sure some were crying,and who could blame them..everything we had was gone..

Before I could ponder on this thought we came to a stop and seemingly blinding light spilled over us as we arrived to the Vault. I followed my husband idly,I processed what was going on around me,but I wasn't really hearing the people around me,I followed behind Nate until he came to a stop at the end of a hall,rows some sort of pods on either side of the corridor,I looked down at the blue vault suit they had had us change into,smoothing my hand over the material,the suit clung to my body,a type of style I was not used to,not with my baby weight,I tend to lean more towards loose fitting clothing.

As the doctor told us to step into the decontamination pods,I noticed Nate struggling to comfort Shaun before looking over “Honey,could you help me?” I nodded softly,putting on a smile “Hey,mommy's here,you're okay” I told him,gently stroking his head in a comforting manner. “There she is,see,Mommy's not going far” I looked up at him “Thanks sweetie,I've got him” I backed away with a soft smile as he climbed into the pod,for some reason I was hesitant I didn't want to get into my pod,it felt as though an invisible force was trying to pull me back. “Please enter your pod,ma’am” I looked over at the doctor and inhaled slowly before grabbing the handle,hoisting myself into it,settling myself in as the door sealed shut,enclosing me inside I looked to my husband as he smiled at me,I gave a weak smile back as he looked down at Shaun,and talked to him,most likely to comfort him. I suddenly felt very cold,anxiety make my breathing unsteady,I saw a thin frost spread over the glass,I looked around frantically “What's-”

I felt my muscles stiffen,struggling to move as I adjusted to my surroundings my vision blurred,I let in pants of air as I looked around the dark corridor as I heard a voice “Here,that's the one.” my eyes adjusted,and I blinked as my eyes watered,rubbing them I looked ahead as my husband's pod was opened,he fell forward slightly,but steadied himself,holding Shaun tightly as he coughed. The next events all seemed to happen so fast,the man with an odd,cage looking brace on his upper arm, pointed a gun at Nate and I felt my blood run cold,mustering up the strength that I could to pound on the sealed door,beating my fist against it trying in vain to get it to open. 

A shot rang through the vault,as Nate's body went limp I let out a weak,sandpaper screech, tears pooling in my eyes as I repeatedly bashed on the door as the man walk up “-at least we still have a back up”the man grinned up at me as I glared at him,blinking away tears as he waltzed away from me,I let out screams,for Shaun,for Nate before everything froze around me once again.

I was once again pulled out of the darkness,I shivered and coughed violently “Critical error,Cryogenesis override-”I pounded on my door,and unlike before,a hissing of the released air from the pod let out,and the door was pulled away from the frame,freeing me all too late to save my husband and baby boy. I shuffled forward weakly as my muscles refused to cooperate with my mind,stumbling forward from the pod,I smacked into the ground,luckily my reflexes caught me,and I landed hard on my palms with a groan at the dull pain that shot through me. 

I struggled to get up for a moment before banging on the door of my husband as I frantically scanned over the pod “There..there has to be-”I looked at the red button before smacking my hand down on it,the hiss of pressure echoed in dead silence of the Vault,and I stepped back so it could rise,I let out shaky breaths as I waited,stepping forward slowly to my husband's frozen corpse,I felt my heart swell in pain as I looked up at his lifeless body,I spotted the silver band that matched my own,slipping it slowly off of his finger with a but of a struggle,it was freezing in the palm of my hand,but I ignored it,gripping it tightly in my first to my heart

"I'll find who did this,and I'll get Shaun back..I promise."

I backed away,sealing the pod once again,I looked down the empty hall as I felt my heart pounding, I needed to leave,I knew I needed to leave now, I had to get out. I made my way down the hall to the door we came from,it wouldn't budge so I went to a nearby door,leading down another corridor,as I looked around the hallway I peered into a room and saw some stimpaks along with a backpack that was spilt over with some clothes in it, I recognized that it was the bag of a neighbor,and very close friend of mine,she took it in with her on the way to the Vault..

I picked it up and opening it the rest of the way,there were shirts,and pants, stimpaks,Bobby pins, I slowly pulled up a long chain with a silver heart at the end,it had a floral design like engraved lace. When clicked open it showed a picture of her,along with a picture of her little girl,who was a sweetheart,I couldn't bare to think of what became of them.. I be slip the locket over my head,smoothing my hand along the cool metal chain as I looked down at it sadly.

“Oh,Linda..”Turning away I took the stimpaks and put them in the front pocket of the grey cloth bag,it had black faux leather straps that I left alone, simply tying the bag with the strings so that if need be I could open it quickly,I looked at my husband's ring that was wrapped around my thumb and nodded softly to myself,when I put the bag on I noticed an old police baton on the desk,picking it up I shrugged slightly,taking it just in case.

Walking out another door to an open area I noticed something resting on a window beside me..it was a giant roach..before I could even wonder how the heck it was so large I saw something dart towards me,whipping my head towards it I screeched as I swung the baton at the giant insect ,running backwards as I did so to keep it off of me,I smashed it with the blunt object until it was mush on the ground,panting as the adrenaline continued washing over me,I walked towards a room that had old beds and an attached kitchen but nothing worth anything was in there,I made my way around a generator room,upon seeing the large roaches I spirited to the door,sealing it before they caught up to me,I whined softly to myself at my still stiff muscles that were now becoming very sore.

I found myself in another room that had a desk in the middle of it,I made my way over as I looked down at the skeleton,it was on the ground,gun in hand,by the bullet hole in the ground,I could guess what happened to this person. I grabbed the gun from their hand,along with a few boxes of ammo,I loaded the weapon, remembering the time Nate had taught me to do so,I rubbed my finger over the ring slightly before shoving the boxes of the 10mm bullets in the bag,searching around another room area I found more ammo and stimpaks,as I searched through lockers I found more ammunition.

On the way out I noticed a cage looking closet with a metal shelf so I walked in to shove the bag,looking up I saw a large gun, staring up at it in awe,I held the large lock in my hand,trying to see if I could yank it enough to break the old lock,but it wouldn't budge,letting go in defeat I stepped back, putting my bag on,flicking the baton out “I'm coming back for you..” I promised. Of course there were more roaches in the hall after I got through the door with the terminal on the desk, not wanting to waste bullets on my terrible aim,I smashed most of them and ran from the rest before I made my way to a familiar area,I fought off another roach as I explored for more supplies before I dare left the Vault,I come into the room we'd first entered to take us into the Vault..it was supposed to be our new home,now it's a tomb,the only thing it's home to is all of my loss,of both my husband and my baby boy..

I blinked away tears,turning to search through more lockers near by,as I rummaged through said lockers I noticed a light from beside me,as I turned I gave an annoyed glance at the jammed door that kept me from coming straight here. Slamming the locker I turned back to look around for a way out, I noticed what looked like a sort of panel,and made my way over to it,stepping over the skeleton slowly, I almost felt guilty for not caring,but the bastards lied to us,and that lead to the death of my husband,and possibly my son.

I walked to the panel and smacked my hand onto the red button just wanting to get the heck outta here. Instead I heard a buzzing sound followed by a voice informing me “Pip-Boy interface needed” I let out a soft shriek of frustration,looking down at the skeleton behind me I grabbed it's Pip-Boy,the skeletal arm fell from it and I examined it, I'd never owned my own Pip-Boy but I had seen stuff about it everywhere.   
I latched it on and looked at the port for the interface, looking at a wire that came from the back of the Pip-Boy,I tugged it slightly,a plug came out and I connected the Pip-Boy,wiping dust off as it lit up brightly,it blinked a message telling me my access was granted,I flipped the plastic covering the button once again and slammed my fist down as frustration boiled over me.

A loud buzzer sounded as the Vault began to open. I watched the slow process, walking around to the steps, standing on the platform, I hadn't expected it to jolt me forward and fell onto my butt,I let out a sigh as I stood,making my way to the elevator,looking around the platform for some kind of button,I spotted a lever style switch,and jogged over to it,tugging it down,it was rusted,and my muscles were still weak,it took me a moment but I managed to slam it down, the elevator shook the Earth slightly beneath my feet before I was slowly raised to the surface.

It was a fairly long wait,we were far underground,and the rusty old elevator ran slow,it seemed so quick before,everything had happened so fast, I had never really had time to sit there and think about what exactly was happening, I knew of course, we'd been nuked,bombs were dropped,our country was destroyed.  
It just never had time to sink it I suppose. I sat on the ground of the elevator,wondering what world I would be coming into..would I be alone? There had to be other people in Vaults,they were everywhere,you always heard about them,they were such a luxury, we we're lucky that because Nate served his country well,we were allowed in.. but maybe it would have been better if we'd never gone into that darned Vault..there had to be people in the world,those bastards who stole my baby,and that monster who killed my husband...No, I wouldn't be alone, I will find that man, I will find my son. Even if it kills me.

I ceased rubbing my ring as I felt the elevator slow, I looked up,fearing it had stopped working and I'd be trapped,however I was met with the blinding light peaking through into the darkness as the seal parted,I stood covering my eyes as to protect them from so much light, I pulled my arm away as my eyes adjusted to my surroundings. Everything was in ruins,it looked so bare,and dead compared to the beautiful home I remembered. The beautiful home that Nate and I built our married life around,we were young,my father left me my childhood home when we were married,and I made a new story with my husband,and my baby...it was all gone.

I looked to where Sanctuary Hills was, I let out shallow breaths as I felt an anxiety attack blossom in my chest,pain rippled through me,seeing it all hit me hard,my home was destroyed,I'd lost everything,my life,my husband,my baby boy,my whole family.. everything. Everything was gone

I felt a single hot tear rush down my cheek,and after that there was no holding back,I began to sob uncontrollably, I could hardly breathe,I dropped to my knees sobbing before I just curled up, I lay there crying for knows how long before I had no more tears,I rolled onto my back as the sun began to set,the beautiful orange,pinks,and yellows painted the sky as I lay on the cool metal of the large lift. I fiddled with my ring,an old nervous tick I had every since I found out I was pregnant. I'd always wanted kids,but once I'd become pregnant I felt so unprepared, I still thought I was still too young,fresh out of law school only a year prior,when I heard the news I was just 24,Nate and I had gotten married when I was 21,he was 24. I was conflicted,I loved my job,but I loved my son very much,Nate helped so much,it made the whole process less rocky,he never gave up on me..

I stood,picking my bag up to put it on and made my way to my home,it was the only thing I could think to do,walking off the platform, I made my way straight ahead to the fallen chain link fence, stumbling down the hill slightly,walking on the small bridge over the stream,making my way up the path sluggishly, exhausted from the overwhelming emotions hitting me all at once. As I made my way down the street there was a faint glimmer from the reflected sunlight,looking up towards my home I noticed a familiar sight: Codsworth, trimming the hedges outside our home,I did a light jog towards the bot “Codsworth?” The bot turned and let out a gasp

“As I live and breathe... It's... it's really you!” “Codsworth! You're... still here.”I gave a soft smile, looking around slightly “So... other people could still be alive, too…” “Well of course I'm still here. Surely you don't think a little radiation could deter the pride of General Atomics International?”He floated forward slightly “But you seem the worse for wear. Best not let the hubby see you in that state!”He laughed “Where is the sir, by the way?” I looked to him and thought of the best way to put it without having to say he was murdered in front of me out by loud“He’s...He’s in a better place” His eyes tilted slight in confusion and he drifted back slightly,

“Mum... these things you're saying. These... terrible things... I... I believe you need a distraction.. Yes! A distraction, to calm this dire mood.” He looked towards my old home “It's been ages since we've had a proper family activity. Checkers. Or perhaps charades. Shaun does so love that game. Is the lad... with you...?” I placed a hand on the old,wore building,it was still standing,and seemed to be mostly intact, I look to him again and muttered softly “They took him...Shaun’s been taken” he let out a hum as he came towards me “It's worse than I thought. Hmm hmm. You're suffering from... hunger-induced paranoia. Not eating properly for 200 years will do that, I'm afraid.” He let out a laugh,my head snapped to him “W-Wait-Did..Did you say..200 years?”

“A bit over 210 actually, mum. Give or take a little for the Earth's rotation and some minor dings to the ole' chronometer,That means you're two centuries late for dinner!” He gave an awkward laugh before continuing “Perhaps I can whip you up a snack? You must be famished.” I furrow my brows slightly at him “Codsworth..You’re acting a bit odd..are you alright”I asked,leaning off the wall to stand straight,

“Oh.. mum, it's been just horrible! Two centuries with no one to talk to, no one to serve..I spent the first ten years trying to keep the floors waxed, but nothing gets out nuclear fallout from vinyl wood. Nothing!And don't get me started about the futility of dusting a collapsed house. And the car! The car! How do you polish rust!”I step towards the bot,gently placing a hand on the metal body between two of his eyes“Hey,woah,woah-Codsworth stay with me”he seemed to droop slightly calming slightly “I'm afraid I don't know anything, mum.. The bombs came, and all of you left in such a hurry. I thought for certain you and your family were... gone.”  
I stepped away as he turned to eject a holotape from the back of how head “I did find this holotape. I believe sir was going to present it to you. As a surprise. But then, well... everything "happened."” I held the holotape in my hand,a piece of tape across it reading ‘Hi honey!’   
I smile softly at Nate's unmistakable hand writing

“Thank you Codsworth…” He gave a soft sniffle “You're welcome,mum. Now. Enough feeling sorry for myself!” I was taken back by the sudden shift in his mood,placing the tape in the side pouch of my bag as he spoke “Shall we search the neighborhood together? Sir and young Shaun may turn up yet.” He spoke optimistically, I looked around “I.. I'm a bit exhausted,would you mind if I rest..” I knew we wouldn't find anything,there was no point “Very well, I shall search on my own,you get some rest,mum!” he floated off down the street,and I looked towards the worn down door of my old home,slowly I turned the knob,and stepped inside.

I looked around,it was relatively clean, considering Codsworth has been here this whole time, I wasn't surprised at the sight. I made my way down the hall, everything seemed so dead silent around me,I could hear my footsteps,they seemed to get louder as I approached Shaun's door,when I slid the door open it returned to the dead silence as I started at the old,beat up crib,still standing but it certainly wouldn't be in safe condition for a child. I walked towards it,running my fingers over the faded blue wood,reaching into it I slowly picked up a rattle,I gently shook it before holding it to my heart “I'm coming sweetheart.. I'll find you,I promise.”I slipped the bag onto Shaun's old changing table,placing the rattle in the small pocket in the front of the bag,looking into the bag I removed the pistol from the Vault, setting it on the table,putting the baton up,I examined it,Nate taught me how to use a gun,but I'd never actually had to use it to defend myself,my aim was alright,but I never really got used to it. I put it back down on the table,looking down at the Vault suit with a slight sigh.

I made my way to my old room,maybe I would find some clothes I could wear, I stopped,and turned back remembering our safe-I wondered if it had been broken into yet,it would be pretty difficult to do so but maybe someone found the key.. I walked over to Shaun's closet,I knelt down to pick up an old board game we had,and opened it,taking the board out,there sat the small safe key,still taped to the bottom of the box, I smiled slightly, peeling the tape away I stood,and went into my old room,when I looked up,I saw what looked to be a large fly,not large as in horse fly big-no,more like cat sized,I screamed at it's size,backing away as it buzzed over,I ran into Shaun's room,grabbing the gun I shot at the large insect until slimy guts spray all over the hallway ground,I lay on the ground panting and I heard the noise of Codsworth fastly approaching with a soft whirring sound.

“Are you alright,Mum?”I wiped my face of the small tears that leaked down my cheek and nodded slightly “I’m fine..Thank you”I stood still breathing in soft ragged breaths. “How..uh How did your search go?”I asked not wanting to even know what that thing was. “Your family isn't here either. They're... they're really gone, aren't they?” I let out a faint sigh and gave the bot a soft smile “Thanks for trying,Codsworth” He gave a faint sniffle “Of course,Mum” I look over to my room again,stepping over the disgusting slime the large insect had left behind. “I’m going to see if there’s anything to change into,Codsworth,would you mind making sure that nothing like...whatever that is is out here?” He twirled around,and hovered away “Of course,Mum,right away!”  
I watch him go off in a hurry,muttering softly to myself “Ah..Thanks”I gave a slight smile to him as he hummed down the street,he was humming an old song Nate would sing to Shaun.

Remembering the key in my hand,I walked towards my bed,it was missing the mattress and was tossed to the side slightly to reveal the safe,still locked with bobbi pins all around it,I smiled to myself slightly at the still locked safe,I used the key to unlock it,and reached into the safe to pull out my husbands old military clothes,they’d be big on me,but it was better than Linda’s clothes,which were too small. I unzipped my vault suit and tossed it onto my dresser,slipping the cargo pants on,a grey tee,and the cargo coat,it was very big on me,so I tied the belt around my waist tight,I’d always been a curvier set woman,my waist was small while I had relatively large breasts,and wide hips.

I felt much better out of the vault suit,it was too snug for my liking,plus,I felt like Nate was with me,protecting me,while I was wearing his clothes. I rubbed my thumb over his ring again. I looked around our home,down the street through our broken windows,It was all so different,everything was destroyed,just..gone. I held back more tears as I sat on the worn out old mattress on our old best,no longer the clean white with a beautiful thick blue blanket over it,it was dirty,and brown,it was probably disgusting,but I didn’t have the energy to care about it now. I just wanted to rest.

Turns out taking a 210 year nap will kind of make it hard to get back on a regular sleeping schedule..It’d been a week since I’d returned to my old home,thank god for Codsworth or I think I’d go insane locking myself up here..He told me I should go look for people to help me,but I’ve been so afraid to leave Sanctuary,if a house fly grew to the size of a house cat,I didn’t want to know what else was out there.. but he was right,I couldn’t stay here forever.I needed to find help,or get somewhere with more people. 

We’re going to concord today,I’ve got my gun and an old knife of Nate’s with me,wearing Nate’s old army clothes,with the boots Vault-Tec gave me,since-for obvious reasons-Nate’s didn’t fit me,and our rings on my thumb and ring finger. Everything about what I was using,to my whole attire made me think that it should have been Nate who lived. Why me? I was a new lawyer,and I hadn’t even really gotten the experience of that. Nate was the soldier,he had the training,the skills,and ability to do this.. but me?

What am I going to do to survive..I know how to use a gun,but what if I run out of bullets? I can only run so far for so long before I’m caught,and I’m not exactly strong,If it came to a fist fight,I’d lose for sure..How could I possibly find my son..and if I did..how could I protect him? How could I provide for my son when I can barely defend myself against a..giant fly. It was hopeless..I was going to die out here.

Codsworth and I made our way down our old road,it was broken up and faded to a paler grey,and the yellow & white paint faded to a fantom on the pavement. We were passing the Red Rocket just outside of Sanctuary when I noticed something dart passed the gas pumps and behind the Red Rocket,I heard loud snarling,and barking,and took a step back towards Codsworth,only to realize he was whirring forward. “Codsworth! Where are you going?”I said in a slight panic “Not to worry,Mum! I’ll handle this!” as he floated quickly towards the sounds I heard a rumbling under ground and stepped back as it got closer to me,suddenly something burst from the ground and I let out a scream as dirt flew everywhere.

I tripped over a rock,of course,and fell smack down on my ass,I scrambled for the gun attached to my hip and shot at the creature that had torn through the Earth and jumped onto me,I was holding it back by its neck as it chomped at me,I managed to get the gun to its stomach and shot three times,it wriggled and made a screeching sound,I threw it off of me,and shot it two more times,stopping as I saw it wasn’t moving anymore. It looked like a giant mole rat..I guess everything got huge after the bombs dropped..I wonder what else there would be..roaches,flies,mole rats-I doubt it stops there.

Codsworth came over,and looked to the mole rat,and burned it with his flamethrower for a moment before turning back to me “Ms Nora-Are you alright?”I looked at the scorched mole rat for a moment before looking up to him “Y..Yes,Codsworth..Thank you”I put the safety back on my gun before slipping it back into the lining of my pants,tying my hair up as sweat started to coat my body lightly. I hear a barking and heard the pitter patter of a dog running through the Red Rocket before a german shepherd emerged, and ran to me excitedly.

“Woah,Hey there boy”I let out as he jumped up on me,I regained my balance and let him down gently,kneeling down to pet him I noticed he had blood on him,but it didn’t seem to bother him,it must not have been his. “What’re you doing out here all by yourself?”I asked rhetorically as I looked around,with all the odd things going on,I almost half expected him to tell me,“Well..You wanna come with me? Could always use more company..”I said as I looked around,he barked happily and licked my cheek,I chuckled at him, “Alright..Let’s stick together” I stood,giving him one last pat on the head before walking forward, “No collar,don’t suppose you’ve got a name,huh? Do you have an owner?” The dog just barked and I chuckled softly,

“As if you could actually tell me..You remind me of my old dog,He ran off just before the bombs dropped..He was a German Shepard too”I told him and I looked down at him “Mind if I call you Ace for now?” The dog barked happily and I chuckled “Thanks..When we find your owner I’ll call you by your name,but for now,you’re Ace”I smiled slightly,walking forward we made our way down the road of Concord,I saw all the old houses that had been boarded up,some had the wood chopped into and broken in,most likely from people who needed a place to keep shelter after the war. It was enough evidence for me to cling onto the hope of finding help.

I walked beside Codsworth who was on my left,Ace ahead of us scampering around to explore,or look for stuff-maybe food,I don’t know,he’s just doing his own thing. He barked and ran forward once we turned the corner,running back he barked to me and I heard gun fire,I dropped down behind an old mailbox on the sidewalk as bullets rocketed towards me,panting I quickly got my gun,turning the safety off,making sure I had enough ammo if I had to defend myself. Definitely still people on this planet.. but they do not want to help me. I hadn’t even done anything,they just started shooting,did everyone go insane after the war? Would I be killed trying to just get help?

I heard a whimper,and looked to see Ace had been kicked by a large man,anger crawled over my body,but the fear cemented me in place..The man shot his gaze towards me and a wicked grin grew across his face as he started walking towards me. Lucky for me,he had no gun,and I had more of a chance to not get killed at this distance.. I stood and backed away,I went to run but he came barreling at me,I let out a scream as I pulled my gun up and shot at him twice,the fear affecting my aim-I’d missed both shots,and was yanked off the ground by my neck,the man pinning me to the wall of an old building as he looked me up and down “Mmm,Wade is gonna like you,bet I’ll be in for a heck of a reward if I brought you in” I didn’t want to know what he meant by that,I could make a few guesses of course,but I refused to think about it.

It was do or die time,these people wouldn’t hesitate to kill me,and I couldn’t die now,not yet. I flailed my legs around until I managed to kick him straight in the groin,he let out a scream and tossed me to the ground, “You little bitch!” He growled as he kicked me in the ribs,It was a weak kick given his state,but it was hard enough to knock the wind out of me,I gasped for air in a struggle as he shouted towards more people,I pressed myself up,and grabbed my gun.He grabbed a fist full of my hair,and knelt down,I pointed the gun right in his face,shooting as I looked into his eyes the moment they registered what had happened.

I didn’t give myself enough time to process the fact that I had just killed a man as more were coming,I slipped into an alleyway as the man looked for me,hugging to the wall I slowly walked towards the Concord’s disheveled old church,I stopped to peek around the corner and saw people shooting at the Museum of Freedom I ran across while they were distracted and peaked out the broken window of the church.   
Were they shooting at innocent people? Or people much worse..? I didn’t know what to do,should I help? What if I just get myself killed? Then again if I manage to live..maybe they could help me.

I was ripped out of my thoughts by a shooting pain rippling through my skull as I fell down,I heard Codsworth’s saw and assumed he’d handle it,I let out a whine and crawled away slowly towards the back of the church,my vision was blurred as I did so,I felt something tickle my eyebrow,and whipped it,I pulled my hand back to see it was now smudged with my blood. I whimpered out and laid on the stairs,I barely had the energy to climb the steps,but I forced myself to crawl as far as I could,I only managed to get to the top of the first set of stairs before I just laid there.

I must have blacked out because when I opened my eyes Ace was licking my cheek,and it was getting dark,I managed to hoist myself up with Codsworth’s help,I still heard gun fire outside-I couldn’t just run away from this without getting killed.. Once I reached the top I noticed that my vision was more clear now,and I saw an old Vertibird crashed between the church and museum,it wasn’t that far from the two buildings with the large gashes in the side. If those people in the museum were innocent people..I could help,I don’t know if it was the fact that I’d just be bashed in the head with a pipe that gave me this crazy idea,but the adrenaline sure gave me the confidence to do it.

I slowly stepped onto the wing of the vertibird and steadied myself,bouncing on it slightly to make sure the vertibird wouldn’t fall while I walked across the wing,I took a slow step forward and heard Ace let out a whimper,I ignored him and took another step forward and heard a slight creaking “Uh,Mum,I don’t think this is the safest idea,maybe you should just get down..” I shook my head and walked forward again,I climbed over the end of the tilted roof of the vertibird carefully,I felt it shift dramatically under me and stood quickly,running forward I jumped towards the museum,hitting the ground hard,I rolled across the floor,and watched as the vertibird ripped through the church and fell further down,but didn’t crash into the ground.

I panted as I watched it,a smile spread across my face and I let out a slight laugh “I made it!” I said,looking towards Codsworth and Ace “Good work,Mum!”Codsworth shouted,spinning his arms in cheer. I looked towards another crashed vertibird that sat on the ground,it must have crashed with the other one. I also noticed a suit of power armor..I’d never used power armor,but Nate had told me about it,he used it when he fought in the war..yet another reason he should be alive,and not me. I also knew they needed fusion cores to be powered,standing I looked around,opening a chest I saw that it had three in it,and smiled softly at them,putting them in my bag,looking at the power armor-I don’t think I could use it,but I might need to..I’ll just keep it in mind for now.

I made my way towards the door slowly,and opened it quietly,kneeling down to silently make my way into the building,I went to a nearby door and found it was locked,I cursed under my breath quietly before gently setting my bag down on on the hardwood floor. I carefully pulled a bobby pin box out of the bag,and slid one out,along with a screwdriver,I’d originally grabbed it as a weapon,but it’d helped me unlock some safes back in Sanctuary,I was determined to get in for any supplies I could,and managed to teach myself to do so.

I fiddled with the lock as quietly as I could,I could hear people on the other side as the lock clicked in a satisfying way,the door creaked open,and I was greeted by the barrel of a gun,I wanted to shrek but kept quiet,maybe if they killed me I wouldn’t have to deal with anything in this world. Shaun entered my mind however and words formed on my lips before I could think,

“I-I’m friendly..”The angry looking woman hadn’t shot me, she looked different from the savages outside,there was a group of anxious faces behind her,maybe there were friendlies,despite the look on this particular woman’s face..

“Marcy,Put the gun down” The angry woman lowered her pistol and stepped back,she had short messy black hair,and almond shaped eyes that were a deep brown that seemed black given our lighting,her skin was sun kissed,but there were blossoms of pale,white patches of skin,mostly on her forehead,left cheek,and the end of her chin,her face still scrunched in anger seemed to harden to steel as I stared. I flushed slightly as I looked away,I was helped to my feet,and the door was locked behind me. I heard shooting down stairs,the sound of a saw,whooshing of fire,paired with some barks,and I knew Codsworth and Ace were fighting off the savages.

I looked up to the man who had hoisted me up,he had walnut-wood skin,deep brown eyes,and a kind smile,to me-that smiled? That was all that mattered. He wore a faded yellow-tan coat with large brown leather gloves,some sort of vest with a scarf tucked in,he wore a brown leather hat atop his head,pinned on the right side,he held a laser musket-I’d only ever seen one before the war,Nate’s friend from the army had held one in a picture he’d had of them.

"Who..Who are you people"I managed to get out "Just folks lookin' for a new home.”He assured, “A fresh start. I've been with 'em since Quincy. Lexington looked good for a while, but the Ferals drove us outta there.”He started,looking me in the eyes as he spoke, “A month ago, there were 20 of us. Yesterday there were 8. Now, we're 5. It's just me, the Longs - Marcy and Jun - that's old Mama Murphy on the couch. And this here's Sturges."I took in all the information,and was baffled for a moment-Ferals? "Wh..What are 'Ferals'?"

"Wow, you really aren't from around here, are you? Feral Ghouls are... irradiated people. The radiation's rotted their brains. Made them feral. They'll rip you apart, just as soon as look at you.” So..Zombies..There are zombies..of course,because..Why wouldn’t there be..

“Anyway, we figured Concord would be a safe place to settle. Those Raiders proved us wrong. But... well, we do have one idea. Sturges?" He turned to a man in overalls,black hair slicked back,I met his blue eyes as he leaned against the desk of the terminal he was fiddling with "There's a crashed vertibird up on the roof. Old school. Pre-war. You might've seen it,given the way you came in"I nodded in response "Yeah,I saw it,I've seen them before,know how they work-Are you going to use it?"I asked as I stood,I wasn’t sure what to do with my body,so I fidgeted with the end of my shirt,Nate’s army jacket tied around my hips,leaving an old white t-shirt I’d found covering me,it was dirty,and now had some blood on it,mine more than likely,

"Sure am,What you'll need is an old pre-war F.C.. a standardized Fusion Core,but I'm guessing you know that already" I perked up at this,setting my bag down,and kneeling over, "Actually..I have some,they were in a crate by the suit.."I pulled one of the fusion cores out and showed him,he grinned at the sight "Well all right! Maybe our luck's finally turning around! Once you jack the Core into the Power Armor and grab that minigun, those Raiders'll know they picked the wrong fight. Good luck."My mind stumbled at this "Wait-Me? I can't take them on..I barely managed to get up here as it is.."I muttered with anxiety "You said you know how they work,no one else here has ever used a suit,we're weak from traveling,no one is up for a fight like that..are you?"

I looked to Preston,and everyone else,everyone looked exhausted,Preston looked more energized,but not enough to take on power armor "I..I don't know,I don't have much experience.."I’d never actually used power armor,I doubted if I could even control the dang thing "The suit will be your best shot of getting out alive,lady,might as well give it a try" I let out a sigh-It would help me a lot,I could hop off the roof,and be just about invincible. I was scared,anxious,and angry. I focused on my anger,towards this new world,the people who stole my baby,the man who murdered my husband. I rubbed my finger over the ring thoughtfully “I’ll give it my best shot..”As I walked toward the door I heard an elderly woman speak up.

"Something big's coming.I can see it"She said ominously,and I quirked my head to the side "See it?"I asked "Don't listen to her,she's just rambling." The angry woman,Marcy,spoke but before I could respond the woman spoke up again,and I turned back to her tired eyes as they glossed over slightly "I knew you'd join us here, kid. Your energy is tied to this place."I looked at her in slight confusion,Nate had always been a skeptic,but I fully believed that some people had gifts,so I figured,why not indulge her, "I used to live here..A long time ago."She gave a soft,knowing smile

"Ah, but the distant past ain't so distant for you.”she started,and I furrowed my brows slightly, “I saw you leave that ice box..This whole world is like some bad dream you can't wake up from, isn't it?"I felt my heart leap at this,well there was no other way she could have known that.. "How did you..."I managed to mutter out,and she waved a hand slightly "Sorry. I know to you it's private, but for me..I can see it plain as day. You leaving that ice box. Waking up in a world that's not yours."

I looked at the woman,thinking back on what she’d said earlier "Before..You mention something big was coming..What do you see?" I could hear Marcy scoff at me,as if she couldn’t believe I was listening to her. "I see... I see... Oh, it's horrible, kid. Claws,and teeth...and horns. The very face of death itself.”I felt anxiety ripple through my body,would it be now? I was about to go fight for these people..what would have fangs,claws,and horns… “When?Where? How..How will I know when to expect it..”She let out a frustrated sound as she opened her tired eyes “That's all I can manage.. I need to rest now. And you have a job to do.." I looked towards the door,even more anxious than before.

“Right.."


	2. The Great Green Jewel and a Mother's Wrath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used mod details for this. I use the concept art version of Hancock. As well as a mod based Goodneighbor. So a lot is changed there.

Terrible idea. Just,Terrible. It was so difficult to move,I wasn’t very strong,it was hard enough to move the suit on its own,but the mini gun? The moment I lifted it,I almost fell right over,thankfully the armor was too heavy for me to be yanked down as I surely would had I not been in it. 

What Mama Murphy had said really had me on edge..What would attack me? “Like looking at the face of death itself..”I muttered to myself with an anxious sigh,I was pulled out of my thoughts however when I heard bullets whiz past me,I flinched at this,and looked to a man across the roof as he shot at me,I looked down at the minigun. I’d never killed before,aside from the man from earlier that is..the thought of taking a human life never seemed like it would become a reality,but as I looked at these ‘Raiders’ I believe they had called them,they were evil,vicious people whatever that man was talking about before about this ‘Wade’ character wasn’t good..

They were bad people,Nate killed people,he never talked about it,but I knew he had,taking a human life can affect a person, no matter how little the change,I knew my husband,and that look in his eyes..He’d seen some things,done things.. Nate could kill for the lives of others..So could I. I can do this.

I lifted the minigun and pressed down on the trigger with all my strength,the weapon let out a soft whirring sound as it spun before it started spitting out bullets,it took me by a slight surprise due to its power,such strength I could barely keep my balance,I’d stumbled forward slightly against the weight and power of the weapon, when I did, I lost my footing and felt myself sink through the air,my heart stuttered as I landed on my knees in the armor,nothing was broken,but my shins would definitely be bruised come tomorrow.

I stood back up quickly as men and women approached me,shooting at me,little dents forming in the power armor as they did so. I lifted the dropped minigun and began firing,I closed my eyes so I didn’t have to see as their blood splattered everywhere,I could hear their bodies drop and that was enough,once I stopped hearing the echo of bullets hitting my armor I ceased fire,and looked around to see no one running or shooting at me anymore. I refused to look down and carefully walked over the bodies.

I walked down the street to be sure no one was left,sure enough five men emerged from buildings at the end of the street,shooting at me. I noticed they were moving away suddenly and watched as a man chucked something through the air,I kicked the grenade away from me and crouched down to protect myself with the power armor,it exploded in the distance, checking myself, I was unharmed.

I stood as the men approached once more shooting at me,before I could begin firing I hear a loud banging sound,I turned to see a sewer tunnel flying up as if someone were trying to kick down a door,the metal platform went flying and I backed away,a large creature emerged and I felt my blood turn to ice. The thing let out a loud screech..It was easily the size of a house, two twisting horns, scaly skin ,large claws, ripples of what looked like spikes of its back, as it screeched I saw large, sharp teeth..Horns,fangs,claws..Mama Murphy said something big was coming..

The creatures attention shot to me and I backed away,sprinting as fast as I could despite my stamina and strength being practically non-existent at this point. As the Raiders shot at the creature,I felt myself lifted off the ground,watching them get a little smaller,the thing had picked me up,I struggled in its grasp,trying to fire the minigun. I felt a pressure around my arm,a loud metallic groan made its way to my ears,the creature was biting into my power armor,when it found it couldn’t rip through the metal, it let out a near deafening roar in my face before it suddenly got very far away,I had been so taken aback by the thing,I didn’t realized I was shooting through the air until I crashed into the pavement so hard it knocked the wind out of me,the power armor made a sort of alarm sound as it showed the damage to my power armor, basically telling me that ripping a hole into the pavement hard rendered the suit useless.

I could barely manage to move, I was able to roll myself over,the suit opening itself since it no longer could protect me. I pushed out of the suit painfully landing on my back beside to minigun,struggling to sit up,my vision blurry as I looked at the large creature as it picked up a screaming man,it ripped him in half,the tearing of his muscles allowed organs to spill out and blood splatter across the ground. I felt sick to my stomach as I stared at the giant monster covered in blood.

Think Nora,Think...There has to be a way. The thing is covered in some hard shell,horns,fangs,claws,but it has to have some weak spot…The creature stretched out in a rawr as I watched it,and then I saw it. Its pale belly was exposed,no hard shell like scales like the rest of its body.

I snapped out of my daze as it came barreling towards me,I dragged the minigun over,lifting my leg to kneel slightly with a growl of pain; My leg folded over, while the other lay sprawled out,I squeezed the trigger as hard as I could,the weapon whirred and began firing,I had a hard time keeping it in place,letting my knee act as a barrier to it,I angled it up,ignoring the shooting pain in my left wrist,I shot the creature in the stomach as it got closer until it stumbled,letting out a pained cry,then I pointed the gun to a car and began firing until it lit on fire,the wounded creature struggled to get up,the fire spread,when I noticed this I crawled backwards quickly,not bothering with my likely broken leg. I managed to get far enough away despite my throbbing wrist before the car exploded with a booming ring through my body,the creature screeched in pain,and fell limp,I panted heavily as I stared at the sky,and let out a soft chuckle,smiling at myself.

I was beat up bad.. but I did it.

I heard a hurried,and familiar whirring sound “Ms.Nora! Are you alright?” Codsworth called out as his mechanical arm lifted me from the ground “Thank you,Codsworth”I smiled, “I’m fine”I stood,a sharp pain shot through my right ankle to my knee and I let out a groan,very likely...

“Let’s get you inside!”He said and hurried me in,I did as he said and walked into the old museum with the bot, Ace barking happily as we entered, running around me, I let out a chuckle. “Hey,Buddy”I pat him on the head and he ran to everyone else,as if to announce my arrival.

"Take it easy, Mama." Preston let out in a worried tone,and the woman looked annoyed as she sat down, "I'm fine, Preston. Quit fussin'."I let a soft smile form on my lips as Preston turned to me, chuckling as he smiled big “That was amazing!”I chuckled faintly “Thanks..”He looked over at a fold out chair on the ground,and opened it up “Oh,Here-For your leg”I nodded “Thank you”I said as I said down,groaning softly in pain,I think I might be broken in a few places “Before we were so rushed for time, I never even got your name stranger” I looked up at him as he spoke up, “Oh,Right-I’m Eleanor”

I thought for a moment,all my adult life I had gone by Nora. This was a new life for me, “You can call me Ellie.” I’d gone by Ellie as a child,but once I was 15 my mother said it ‘wasn’t very lady like to go by such a childish name’ but she was long gone now..and I’d always prefered Ellie..Nate always had called me Ellie because he knew this.

"That was... a pretty amazing display. I'm just glad you're on our side.You should join us in Sanctuary. We could really use your help." "The feeling's mutual, Preston,but..for now,I need to get something done" I told him,new found motivation and belief in myself after defeating the..thing "That's a shame, man. You can never have too many friends in the Commonwealth. You helped with the Deathclaw..We owe you,so,maybe we could help" I smiled “I’ll come home one day..”

I looked over as Mama Murphy spoke up, "You're not what I expected Dogmeat would find in that little neighborhood. But oh, so much better. You a hero, girl. Comin' here, helpin' us." I smiled softly, "Just trying to do what's right, ma'am." She let out a chuckle,smiling wide she pointed at me with a sort of smirk "Oh, I like you. You're just what this Commonwealth needs. And I hope your heart stays true,'Cause you're gonna walk a long, hard road. I saw it." Given her display on knowing about the ‘Deathclaw’ I had to ask, "Please, tell me what you know." "I can see a bit of what was, and what will be. And even what is, right now.And right now I can see there's something coming. Drawn by the noise, and the chaos.And it is... angry." I felt panic blossom slightly "Whatever it is, I'll stop it." Maybe if I act confident,I'll believe it.. "You're a woman out of time..Out of hope. But all's not lost..I can feel... your son's energy. He's out there." I felt hope ripple through my body "Please, tell me where he is. I need to find my son."She nodded as she closed her eyes,focusing.

"I... can't see him. Not clearly. But I feel his life force. He's out there. And even I don't need the Sight to tell you where you should start lookin'.The great, green jewel of the Commonwealth. Diamond City. The biggest settlement around."I nodded,making a mental note to ask where the hell this ‘Diamond City’ was, "Alright..Is there anything else you can tell me?"I asked,leaning more towards her "Diamond City is the next step on your road.

Beyond that, the Sight ain't clear,Diamond City holds answers, but they're locked tight. You ask them what they know,but people's hearts are chained up with fear and suspicion, but you find it. You find that heart that's gonna lead you to your boy. Oh, it's... it's bright. So bright against the dark alleys it walks. That's... that's what you need to do, kid. Follow the signs to the bright heart..You're looking for a man. He can help you, but he ain't gonna be the man you expect.He's somewhere... deep... and dark. Surrounded by folks with nothin' but cruel intentions, but there's... an echo... Something in the past that can help you.Whew... wow... that... took more out of me than usual. I'm gonna need to rest now, kid." I let out a soft sigh,but thanked the woman anyways,she gave me something.

I asked Preston about this Diamond City,he wasn’t on board with me listening to Mama Murphy’s visions,but he agreed it was a start,so he mapped me out a safe route to Diamond City..Preston wouldn’t let me leave with my leg,and wrist being injured,but I’d just sprained my ankle,my wrist was broken,but it was manageable,I could still hold my gun,Sturges had given me a modified shot gun,and plenty of ammo in case I ran into bigger problems,more firepower than my pistol,so I accepted it gladly. With Preston breathing down my neck all day,I planned to sneak out at 6am.

I decided it would be best to leave Codsworth here with everyone,make sure no one takes over the house while I’m gone,taking Dogmeat with me. Dogmeat..Such a terrible name for a dog,if you ask me. He responded to Ace,but everyone knew him as Dogmeat, to avoid confusion I gave in and started calling him by his name. He seemed fine with whatever though.

I was pretty close to Diamond City by the looks of my map, but unfortunately, I ran into a bunch of Raiders on my way there while I was on the road,I ran and got off track,a bunch of them chased me for miles until I lose them..I was hours from Diamond City,I’d run straight passed it,and the sun was already setting..It’d be best to quietly make my way to a place to stay for the night.

As I was lurking around to find a safe,hidden place to stay,I noticed a neon sign in the dark,glowing so bright in the pitch black it felt like a door to heaven opening. “Goodneighbor..” I muttered to myself,looking down to Dogmeat “Sounds promising,right?” Dogmeat barked and I chuckled nervously “I guess we’ll see..”I took a deep breath before walking towards the gate,pushing the door open and stepping into a clearing of brick beneath my feet, first thing I noticed was the lit up State House, then a man swaggering towards me,lighting a cigarette as he looked over me,I felt a slight unease crawl through me,but with all the traveling,running, and lack of sleep from the passed few days,it was overpowered by irritation.

"Hold up there. First time in Goodneighbor? Can't go walking around without insurance." I glared at him slightly,my mouth having no filter through my frustrated attitude at the moment.. "Unless it's "keep-dumb-assholes-away-from-me" insurance, I'm not interested."He smirked,chuckling "Aww,Now don't be like that. I think you're going to like what I have on offer..”He paused,putting an arm around me “You hand over everything you got in them pockets, or "accidents" start happenin' to ya.”He smiled,whispering into my ear “Big, bloody, "accidents."” I felt fear ripple through me,but I shove him away in anger,before I could tell him where he could shove his “insurance” I heard a voice cut in,and noticed a man walking towards us.

"Whoa, whoa. Time out.Someone steps through the gate the first time, they're a guest.”he said as he looked at me,and I felt shock wash over me at his appearance. He had what looked like burned skin,it was fleshy and pink,but still a peach in spots,his nose was flattened slightly,and exposed,like the skin had peeled off,and the bone worn, he had shoulder length dirty blond hair swept under a dark leather tricorn hat,he wore a worn out,red frock coat,a loosely ruffled collar shirt,a blue vest and an old pre-war flag of the US around his hips,his eyes were like obsidian stones placed in the sockets. The man examined me for a brief moment before his eyes went back to the man in front of me.

“You lay off that extortion crap."He told him,and the man scoffed "What d'you care? She ain't one of us."The burned man tilted his head slightly as he got closer, "No love for your mayor, Finn? I said let her go."The man;Finn,glared slightly at the taller man who probably had about 4 inches on Finn, "You're soft, Hancock. You keep letting outsiders walk all over us, one day there'll be a new mayor."Hancock clapped a hand on Finn’s shoulder as he gave a crooked grin

"Come on, man. This is me we're talking about..”Finn looked to the hand on his shoulder,and I watched as the other appeared with a glimmer.. “Let me tell you something.."Hancock smiled before driving the blade into Finn’s side with a grin, I gasped softly as he did so and stepped back slightly when Hancock let the man fall limp,smacking into the brick pavement,I just stared at his body for a moment before Hancock stepped, wiping the blood on his pants. “Now why’d you have to go and say that?”He muttered to Finn’s body before gazing back over to me, coming towards me with a gentle smile.

"You all right, sister?" I was flustered with anxiety,but managed to speak "I...I'm fine,thank you"I muttered "Good. Now don't let this incident taint your view of our little community.”I almost wanted to laugh,How could it not? “Goodneighbor’s of the people, for the people, you feel me? Everyone's welcome." I gave a slight nod as I looked to Finn’s dead body "Yeah,I feel you.." He smiled a lazy grin "Good. You stay cool, and you'll be part of the neighborhood."He smiled,looking down at Finn,stepping over the body as he sauntered off,but paused for a moment before looking over his shoulder "So long as you remember who's in charge." I looked to Finn as a man dressed like a 50s gangster hoisted him onto his shoulder,and walked off. Mayor of Goodneighbor..won’t be forgetting him anytime soon… I hadn’t realized I was walking backwards until I heard a voice behind me.

"Oh. A new face walks into my store.”I turned to her,she had what looked like burned skin as well,only more so than the Mayors,they had the same burns but she was more pink than peach,her eyes were also that pitch black in her sockets,they glimmered under the light of the little building “And you're not even screaming, yet. Very polite.”The woman spoke with a smile,chuckling softly “You let me know if anything catches your fancy." I looked around for a brief moment before looking,

"Did you say something about people screaming at you..?" I asked,and she nodded, "That's right. Some newcomers have never seen a Ghoul before. Can't handle a friendly face, I say."I gave a soft smile,but was confused at this, "Ghoul? What's a Ghoul?"She gave a slight smile "You're looking at one, sweetheart.”She started, “Didn't have any shelter to go to when the bombs fell. Radiation's kind of the ultimate makeover.Done wonders for my skin. I look pretty good for being 220 years old."I rose my eyebrows in shock as I looked at her "You..You're 220 years old?" She looked around with a slight sigh,nodding. "Okay, okay..It's more like..270 years, but don't go blabbing that to everyone”I felt my eyebrows go up even further,and she must have sensed my confusion,

“Being a Ghoul means you live a long time. You stop counting birthdays. You know what it's like being that old?" I let out a soft chuckle,looking down slightly “More than you might think..." She laughed, "Well, now you're just making fun of me!”She chuckled as she placed her hands on the counter,looking me up and down “If you were as old as I was, you would've been around since before the War,So,let's hear it. Come on. Tell me what the world was like before the War, if you're so ancient."

I looked around for a moment as she chuckled,thinking about everything,my snarky attitude still present "It was pretty much what we have now, just with less rust." She let out a chuckle as she nodded "Yeah, that's true, isn't it? Well, you're either the most well-preserved Ghoul I've ever seen, or you're the second-best bull shiter in Goodneighbor." She laughed "You know, if you haven't already, you should check out the Hotel Rexford. There's another pre-War Ghoul hanging around there." I nodded softly,It’d be nice to talk to people who understand what it was like before the war. "So what do you remember? About the past?"I asked,she looked over with a slight smile,softly tapping her hand on the countertop,

"Oh sweetie, I was an angry young woman back then. Thought the world was sick and wouldn't give me my due.”She let out a soft sigh before resting on her elbows “Then it all ended, and well, I ended in a way. Becoming a Ghoul... Maybe when you get to my age everything starts to look like fate...Anyway, I liked your story better, whether or not it's true." I thought about my family for a brief moment,

"It's the truth. All of it...It was a pretty damaged world.. but I once had a beautiful house, white picket fence, and a lawn with the greenest grass you'd ever seen. It was…”I looked around for a moment to think of the right word “Peaceful." She smiled softly, "It was... wasn't it?”She let out a slight sniffle before blinking away some tears. “Sorry, last thing you want to see is an old lady tearing up..Well, we should get back to business. What are you picking up?"

I bought some stimpaks,ammo,food,and water from Daisy,she was a sweet woman,gave me a discount on some stuff to help me out since apparently she liked me,with my whole never seeing a Ghoul before,and not screaming in return,she said she liked that I treated her no different,and I was grateful for the discount more than she could know,after Preston told me Caps were the currency it didn’t make much sense to me,I figured it would just make money even more valuable,and things would be expensive,but no..Bottle Caps. I managed to get a good amount of caps on the trip here so I could have paid full price,but it would have left me with about 8 caps,thanks to Daisy I still had about 60.

I went to the Third Rail as per Daisy’s recommendation,but before I did so I looked around the ruins of the old town,just outside the Third Rail there was a crater in an old bank with a bot who,lucky for me, put pre-war money to use,buying them for 6 caps per dollar,pretty good way to get some easy caps around here,to the left of the Third Rail’s exit,there was an old police ‘rescue vehicle’ the bulky looking truck that could just about be considered a tank,it was littered with old graffiti,peace signs, ‘X’s over the police symbol and in large,bold-but faded-red letters read

‘No Justice,No Peace,Fuck the Police!’It almost made me chuckle when I saw the flowers stuffed into the barrel of what looked to be a gun on the side of the car.  
Inside of this old vehicle you could find a chem station,and a man outside who sold said chems. There were many people who set up little shop areas to sell their goods,blankets laid on the ground with their goods displayed,and the rest in crates,some people sold scrap,some clothes,mechanic parts,food,and even armor & weapons. Some children were selling things as well,I made sure to buy a couple things of food,and water from a few kids,and a couple just sold old toys,  
Maybe when I find Shaun he’ll want these…

Just outside the back of the State House was a makeshift stage like platform built with a walkway into the Old State House,on this stage was a man who, for two caps,would let you poke a caged feral as a wish, he had a fork, and old butter knife taped to long sticks as to prevent from any harm to come upon you, seemed like a stupid idea to me.. The biggest thing aside from the market was the old apartment building,it had gotten some repairs and people could buy their own,it was across the Memory Den and was a permanent home,a good thing to keep in mind for the future. Beside whatever this ‘Memory Den’ was was the Hotel Rexford Daisy told me about,I got a room tonight for 10 caps,for now though,I was going to enjoy a nice drink,and the beautiful music.

“Hey,Newcomer”I heard a raspy voice call through my dazed mind,I turned to the mayor,looking into his charcoal eyes “Oh,sorry,I didn’t hear you”I muttered softly as I turned in my seat “No problem. You stood up to Finn before..So,You seem to be my kind of trouble, have a drink with me?”I look as he points to a back room with a sign reading ‘VIP’ “Uh..Sure, yes, thanks..”I muttered as I hopped off my seat,he reached over the counter,leaning in close enough that I felt heat radiating off of him. He looked down at me and let out a soft chuckle,

“You don’t need to be so scared of me, Sister; I don’t bite”I gave him a slight glare “I’m not scared of you..I find you intimidating,but that’s different from being afraid.”He gave me a crooked smirk “Come on”Was all he said before sauntering over to the back room,greeting his citizens in return as we walked,I noticed that most everyone was watching me walk with the mayor,he seemed friendly enough with his people,side from stabbing this Finn character to death that is,was it such a shock for him to bring someone into the VIP with him..maybe it’s because I’m new,either way;I didn’t like the attention,so I walked right on the man’s heels.

Hancock was a tall guy,he probably had about 7 inches on my 5’3’’ self,he was fairly muscular-no surprise,I imagine you must be pretty fit to fight through this world-but also pretty slender as well,almost unnoticeable due to his muscular frame,mainly his arms,but his loosely buttoned shirt exposed a good amount of his chest,and abdomen showing he was much more slim than he would first appear to be. He didn’t have washboard abs,but his skin was rippled through to the muscle in areas.

He led me into the room,leaving the door open as we went in,he plopped himself onto the couch,bottle in hand,he unscrewed the top and poured some into his glass,mixing it with what looked to be about a quarter way full of vodka. I sat beside him,holding my glass out as he offered me the whisky,never was a big fan of alcohol,but it loosened me up a bit,and with this guy..I might need it,I was so nervous around anyone alone nowadays,I’m so paranoid someone will just up and kill me,along with the fact that I’d watched the man stab one of his own to death..Yeah,I could use that drink.

There was a silence as he savored the drink,I didn’t like the silence,so,like an idiot,I broke the ice with “So..You’re a Ghoul,too?”He peaked over at me,scanning my face for a moment before he pulled the glass from his lips,forming that lazy grin again “Like it? I think it gives me a sexy, king of the zombies kinda look. Big hit with the ladies."I gave a soft chuckle “I bet..”I muttered faintly as I drank from my glass,and he smiled “Oooh,Was that a compliment?” He chuckled “I’ve barely heard you speak,what’s your name,Sunshine?” I pulled the glass away,

“N-Ellie, I’m Ellie”He chuckled “Hesitate for a moment there? You aint lyin’ are ya?”I shook my head “My real name is Eleanor,My mother used to make me go by ‘Nora’,said it was “More lady like”.. but I prefer Ellie”He gave a faint smile, “I can understand that. Suits you much more than Nora anyhow,nice to have an honest gal here,don’t seem honest much these days,everyone’s always on guard,but I get the feelin’ I can trust you,hell,for someone who’s never met a Ghoul before? I’d say you’re doin pretty damn good with taking it in,most folks just freak out”

I gave a slight shrug “There was a nuclear war,radiation is all over,can’t expect people to be unaffected by that,it doesn’t surprise me enough to freak out,I’ll be honest,It threw me off a bit once I realized,but again,It’s no surprise.”Hancock nodded as he took a long drag of his cigarette,letting out smoke slowly “Makes since.” I nod softly as I looked at his face “But..One thing”I muttered softly,and he looked over “You..You look different,I’ve seen Ghouls all over Goodneighbor,and you’re...You’re just a little different from them all,they all seem to have a set pattern of how their skin is,but yours,it doesn’t follow that”He chuckled softly “Observant aren’t ya?” I waited for a moment before I spoke in my curious state, "What's your story, Hancock?" He looked over at me,as if to see if I was genuinely interested,he gave that crooked smirk "My favorite subject."He chuckled,and I couldn't help but smile slightly,taking a sip of my whisky to hide it,

"I came into this town about... a decade ago? Had a smooth set of skin back then."I rose my eyebrows slightly, "While I was busy making myself a pillar of this community, I would go on these... like ... wild tears... I was young...Any chems I could find, the more exotic, the better." I let my glass rest on my knee as I pulled one leg into the seat as I faced him "Ah,That seems smart"I commented causing him to chuckle "Finally found this experimental radiation drug. Only one of its kind left, and only one hit."He leaned forward as he chuckled, "Oh man, the high was so worth it.. Yeah, I'm living with the side effects, but hey, what's not to love about immortality?"

I furrowed my brows slightly, Daisy said they lived for a long time,not that they were immortal, "You're immortal?"He shook his head slightly as he rethought it "Well... not exactly. Ghouls just age really, really slow. Something about the rads, maybe? Who knows..." I let out a short,almost sarcastic laugh "You're one hell of a risk taker,Hancock" He smirked "Only have one life, why not try it all?"He chuckled before taking a drink of the whisky,putting the cigarette out. “What about you,Sunshine;What’s your story?”I looked down slightly as I fiddled with the Pip-Boy on my wrist “You’re obviously some vaultie,that or you killed one for that there Pip-Boy,but I seriously doubt it from what I’ve seen of you” I nodded slightly,

“I came from a vault..Vault 111..”I muttered,he let out a faint whistle “That must have been nice”I shook my head, “No..Vault-Tec lied to us..We didn’t get a new life there,it was all a lie”He looked over “Who’s we?”He asked,and I looked down to my wedding ring,Nate’s was now on the necklace chain with Linda’s locket,but mine remained in place. “My family;Me,my husband..and my baby”I saw Hancock’s eyes furrow slightly at this, leaning forward slightly he looked over at me.

“Why aren’t they with you?”I sighed softly “I wish I knew the reasoning...but,my husband Nate..He was killed,and my baby;Shaun..He was taken from me.”I saw the concern on his face,but didn’t want to hear anymore sympathy “Vault-Tec lied to us,we were supposed to be vault dwellers who lead these new lives,just underground when the bombs fell.. but instead they cryogenically froze us..I only just woke up a few weeks ago.” He leaned back slightly taking it all in as I sat completely still, “So,You were around pre-war?”I nodded softly “Can’t imagine what it must be like to wake up here.”I shrugged slightly “I’ve managed..”

Hancock and I talked for a while,drank some more until we finished off the bottle together,a little drunk as he told me things about the Commonwealth,and I told him things from before the war. “Now,You’re more than welcome to stay as long as you like, love, but if you wanna survive I suggest gettin’ some more caps in your pocket,try gettin’ a job from Bobbi,She’s in the alleyway just outside”I nodded slightly “Riight,Just trust some stranger waiting in an alley for me..”He chuckled “Just some advice, Sister, I can tell you aint got much, it’d be best for you to get you some Caps,Sunshine”I gave a faint glare, “Please,stop calling me Sunshine..I hate nicknames”He smirked slightly“Whatever you say, Sunshine”I rolled my eyes as I looked at my Pip-Boy,seeing it was 1 am "Damn,I should get to the Rexford..”I muttered as I stood, Dogmeat following suit “Thanks for the drink...s”I chuckled softly and he grinned, “No problem, Sunshine.”

Hancock was a nice guy,he seemed like a genuinely good person,and apparently Finn wasn’t the best guy in the world,I trusted him enough,which is why I was walking down into the alley Hancock told me this ‘Bobbi’ would be last night,I didn’t see anyone,and was going to give up when I heard a gruff,yet feminine voice. “Hey you. Looking for work?"I almost jumped when I heard the question,turning around to see Ghoulish skin,and short brown hair framing the woman’s face,her eyes had a pale,washed out look to it,almost like she was blind,but her slightly bloodshot eyes followed me,

"Depends on the work" I told her,stepping towards the door,she gave a very faint chuckle "You'll never find a more fair and honest job.If you don't mind a little manual labor and don't ask too many questions, you're in.I'll give you 50 caps to start." I’d need more than 50 more caps to continue living out here.. “50? I don't even know the job,that's not gonna cover it.” I told her,

"Fine, take 100 up front." That’s a little better,but..."You can do better than that,I can tell" She groaned slightly "You're killing me here. 150 to start."I’m pushing her,maybe I should stop there.. "You'll have to make it worth my while,I’m a hard worker,and I need plenty of supplies,too. Trust me,I'm worth it" Idiot.. "200.That's as high as I go.Jeez, I gotta watch out for this one." She chuckled,and I hid a proud grin from my lips "I'm in" I told her as Dogmeat barked excitedly. “Great,meet me downstairs when you’re ready” I nodded as I heard her unlock the door,and opened it to follow her. I had to act more brave than I was, more tough than I appeared in this place..

Give it time and maybe even I’ll start to believe it,yeah...Let’s keep going with that..

"Ready to get to work?" Bobbi asked once we came to a stop,tough,act tough."No, I followed you down here for the exercise." Sarcasm works too,I suppose.."Funny.Well, you'll get plenty of exercise here." I nodded as I looked towards a tunnel in the wall,"Are you going to tell me what we're actually doing?" She looked over too before we made eye contact again "Look, we're pulling a job here. Big payoff. Taking some things that aren't technically ours yet." I rose an eyebrow,

"Sounds ambitious." She grinned slightly "It is, and that's why we need some help." I nodded slightly, "I guess it's not really any of my business, so long as I get paid." She chuckled, "I like people who don't ask too many questions. Which means so far, I like you. Hopefully I'll keep liking you,now,the other two are down there digging already. Go give 'em a hand, will ya?" I nodded as I started walking towards the tunnel "Got it"I said,grabbing a shovel as I walked down the path. I helped the two guys that were down there for a bit before these things called ‘Mirklurk’s came out of the tunnels,the guys bailed,and left me to fight them on my own,took me a bit but I managed to kill them after realizing their heads were the weakest spot. 

Bobbi’s friend Mel showed up. He looked a lot like Van Gogh if you ask me,along with him,he had a modified Eyebot he called ‘Sonya’,and we set out. Sonya was pretty impressive,she could blast walls down,which to me was pretty damn cool given Eyebots don’t usually do that. I fought off Ferals with the other two,and Dogmeat,ignoring Bobbi and Mel while they talked about me.

We came out into some subway tunnels and fought off more Ferals,I had nothing to do but listen to the two chit chat "How come it's been so long since we worked together, Bobbi?" The Ghoul hummed slightly as we walked through the new blast in the subway tunnel Sonya provided, "I've been trying to keep a low profile on this one, Mel.And I didn't want to get you wrapped up in it unless I had to." He looked over at her, "We've been through worse jobs than this..."He commented with slight confusion,I wondered what kind of jobs they’d pulled before,worse than stealing from a town’s supplies, I didn’t approve, but things were different in this world, I couldn’t back out now, if I gave up on this, I’d give up on other jobs, and I needed money to survive. To get to Shaun.

We finally came into an empty room,it had a sealed door,I looked on the old terminal,it was locked. I sighed as I sat in the seat in front of the terminal,Dogmeat sitting beside me loyally as I tried to figure out a way to get in “We're getting really close.There is a brewery near our strongroom, this has to be the basement to that brewery."Bobbi commented as she reloaded her gun "Hm,Brewery,you say?"Mel grinned,Bobbi glared "Mel,No." She commented sternly, "Just kidding,Geez" They were an odd pair.

We fought off more ferals,and I got to fight my first ‘Glowing One’,it was no fun. After that we got into a large empty space where Sonya blasted and we came into another empty space and Bobbi looked up,"Well guys,We're right underneath the Diamond City Strongroom" She smiled,and Mel looked over "Are you sure about this Bobbi,I've been mapping it out and I think Diamond City should be a little further North of here." I furrowed my brows slightly "I don't have a doubt in my mind.How about a little trust for the boss?"I looked over at her as she glanced over,as if waiting for my agreement,

"I guess we'll find out once we get in" I commented,Sketchy.. "Right-Now,Let's use that robot to get us to the Strongroom" Mel nodded as he turned to Sonya,"Right,Alright Sonya,get ready for a blast at max power,We won't want to be in the room for this. Collapsing foundation and all." Bobbi nodded as she looked up "Good thinking"I nodded in agreement "Alright then, everybody clear out."

We all left to go into the room from before as we waited,there was a bright flash from Sonya’s blast,followed by a loud rumbling as the ground collapsed. “Oh no,that didn’t sound good,I hope Sonya’s alright..”Mel muttered to himself as we made our way back in,and he jogged towards the bot the was sparking on the ground "Oh, no. No. No. Sonya!" I followed behind him while Bobbi looked at a part of the ground that had formed a ramp for us"Pull yourself together,Mel. We don't need that thing anymore,anyway" Mel looked at Sonya’s broken pieces"Yeah,but-” "You can make another robot with the haul we get from the strongroom.Keep your head in the game." Bobbi said in annoyance as she walked up the ramp

"Right.." I looked over to Mel,he was clearly upset “Sorry about Sonya,Mel”I said as we walked up the ramp,and he looked over,giving a faint but thankful smile to me “Yeah,Thanks..”I smiled slightly back as we followed Bobbi through a metal door,Bobbi stopped in her tracks when we heard a voice.

"Bobbi, what are you doing here?" Bobbi looked up to the woman,she was dressed in leather clothes,and a ripped flannel,her hair was a fiery orange,shaved on one side with the rest swept over to the side. "Crap.." Bobbi muttered "You seriously didn't think Hancock would catch wind of your scheme?" I furrowed my eyebrows,"Hancock? I don't understand,What's this gotta do with him..Bobbi?"I asked as I looked over at her,very sketchy "Don't worry about it. We are so close here." I looked over as the woman spoke,

"I see the rest of you are in the dark about this,”She let out a scoff as she shook her head,“Nice,No-Nose..You all just broke into Hancock's store room. You know,Hancock;The mayor of Goodneighbor" Knew something wasn’t right.. "Damn it,Bobbi" Mel hissed quietly,She looked to Mel and I, "Listen guys, I know this isn't what you expected, but there are still a ton of caps on the line here.Help me take her out and all of it is ours." Mel shook his head slightly, "This is Hancock we're ripping off here. The guy tends to hold grudges." I nodded slightly "Yeah,He stabbed a guy to death when I first met him, I'm not exactly thrilled at the idea of being on his bad side.."I commented,she glared

"You can't do this to me. This isn't how this is supposed to go..Know what? Fine. More for me!" Before I could react,Bobbi pulled out her gun and shot me in the shoulder,I fell due to the surprise and force of the bullet,the others with the woman shot at Bobbi as she sprinted towards the door,she made her way to the tunnels and the woman sighed “Great.”She looked over at me “The mayor wants to talk to you back in Goodneighbor,I wouldn’t keep him waiting”I nodded slightly as I headed out.

It took me a bit to get back,I contemplated just going to Diamond City since it was so close by,but I decided I really didn’t want to get on Hancock’s bad side,I’d rather have him as a friend,not an enemy. Dogmeat followed beside me as I hesitated at the Goodneighbor gate,I opened it timidly. Tough,Act. Tough. Oh sweet jesus he was waiting right at the gate,leaning on the old half wall of brick“Well, if it ain't Bobbi's little patsy." I stepped forward slightly as I spoke, "I didn't know what she was planning,Hancock"

He nodded as he lit a cigarette,taking a long drag before exhaling the smoke,he did it so slowly I felt like the tension was going to kill me, "It was a wise decision you made,siding with us" I nodded slightly "Yeah,well,It seemed like the better choice.." I muttered slightly,mostly to myself "Look,the thing is..No one steals from me. I gotta admit, you and Bobbi pulled one hell of a job.. Almost makes me wish I had done it myself…”He told me,and I was a bit confused at that,but didn’t have time to think as he pushed himself off the wall,walking towards me,standing fairly close to me,

“Now,”He started as he tucked a strand of my shoulder length,nude blonde hair behind my ear, “As an apology,I want you track her down,put a knife in her,get me my caps back,and we’ll call it even."I looked up at him into the pitch black pools of tar that were his eyes,asking barely above a whisper"You want me to kill her..?" He smiled slightly,nodding "Aren't you mad at her for shooting you?"I touched my shoulder slightly,I’d had to pull the bullet out on my own,and sew it with loose thread from my shirt,it hurt like a bitch. "I mean...Yes,but I..."I thought for a moment about what could happen if I was on the mayor's bad side,he's telling me to kill someone for him,who’s to say he won’t just hire someone to kill me too,or stab me like he did to Finn..Maybe that’s why he was waiting at the gate for me..Standing in the same spot he had when doing so,

"I'll take care of it.." I told him,and he gave me that lazy grin,placing a hand on my shoulder as he let out a soft chuckle, "That was the right answer.Bobbi's smart, but not half as smart as she thinks she is.She's been having all her new tidings of wealth shipped to a building in South Boston.”He pulled my arm to him slowly,putting the location into my Pip-Boy map before letting my arm go “That's where you'll be heading. Now go."

Bobbi’s place was quite a bit a ways,it took me about two days to get there,man I really missed having a car,it would be great for all this traveling I’ve had to do lately,I could already see that I was losing weight,I’d gotten much skinnier since I left the vault,not a huge difference,but dramatic for such a short period of time,not that I really minded,I’d been trying to work of Shaun’s baby weight,but taking care of him had been such a distraction,I never had time to do so,and when I did have time,I spent it crying out my stress,or actually getting some sleep.

Nate was a big help,but he was gone for the first 3 months of Shaun’s life..It was exhausting,since I’d gotten here I haven’t gotten a lot of sleep either,what with my 200 year nap,and paranoia keeping me from doing so,but I was falling back into a pattern. I’d set up camp somewhere that seemed hidden enough when the sun started to set, not wanting to travel at night, and planned to wake up around 6 when the sun came up. Much better than an hour nap in the middle of the day with a screaming baby.

I finally arrived at my destination,a large red house,it was in what looked like an old neighborhood,a little collapsed in,but still standing,I wonder if this was Bobbi’s place before the war? Surprisingly,the door was unlocked,and I almost doubted she would be here,but I had to check,sure enough, Bobbi was sitting on the couch,drinking from a glass.

“Bobbi?” I called, "Well, look who it is. Makes a Ghoul a bit nervous, you showing up here unannounced after the way we left things and all."She gave a short chuckle "So, who hired you to track me down? It was Hancock, wasn't it?" I walked forward slightly "He wants me to kill you and bring back his caps, plus damages." I told her,and she hummed in amusement,"Aren't you the little mercenary. And what exactly are you planning to do?" She asked almost in a mocking manner,chuckling. "You don't have to worry. I'll figure out some way to make things right with Hancock." She told me,and I let out a slight sigh

"If you leave your caps and run, I'll take them to Hancock and say I put you down. No one has to die." I almost pleaded,but she scoffed,"Sorry, partner, but I ain't got no caps to give. So you're just going to have to figure out some other way to appease Hancock." damn it,this woman is going to make me kill her.. "He wants you dead,Bobbi..I’m sorry,but you’re gonna have to make your peace, I'm taking those caps back. I can't afford to have a feud with Hancock, I have to find my son."I told her sternly,she scoffed."Ha,You can try."

She said as she stood,I stepped forward but felt a tugging,I looked down to a thin rope,stretched by my ankle,the two turrets on either side of the home shot at me,I ducked,and threw myself against the back wall of the staircase to hide from the bullets,they ceased fire when they couldn’t detect me,and I peaked out to see Bobbi aiming her gun at me,I yanked her by the ankle from my crouched position,she fell onto her back and I dragged her as close to me as possible as she struggled,shooting at me aimlessly,I shot her in the arm holding the gun,she wailed in pain cursing at me as she rolled onto her side,I pointed the gun at her head and closed my eyes as I shot. I didn’t bother to look,the loud thud that vibrated through the house told me I’d gotten her. I leaned against the wall,a sick feeling bubbling in my stomach. I don’t think I would ever get used to having to kill in this world.

I took a shirt from my bag,throwing it over her head,barely getting a glimpse of what was left of her head,I stayed in place,peaking my pistol over the steps,staying behind the wall of the steps as I shot towards the turret till it exploded,hiding when it did so,I repeated this with the other turret before I stood. Caps. I had to get Hancock’s caps. I walked to the couch Bobbi was sitting at,there were a couple of caps left on the coffee table,some in the couch,and on the counter in the kitchen. When I was looking in the kitchen I noticed a safe sticking out from under the couch. I lifted,and moved the couch despite the pain that shot through my shoulder. It was, of course,locked and I needed either the code,or the key. I couldn’t find either of them. I looked to Bobbi’s body..Maybe she had it.

I hated the idea of searching someone’s corpse for keys to a safe,but I had to bring back more than 12 caps. So,I had to do it. In Bobbi’s pockets I found 243 caps,a key,a stimpak,and some ammo for her gun. I put it all in my bag,keeping Hancock’s caps in a metal tin I’d found some in before,apparently people stashed their caps in these a lot. When I unlocked the safe there was 526 more caps,more pistol,and a ammo for said pistol. 781 caps,I threw in some of my own to make it an even 800,that should be enough, At least I hope so…

Once I got back to Goodneighbor the woman with the red hair took me to Hancock’s office,leaving me alone with him she shut the door behind me,paranoia came-a knocking.."Things got a little messy, but you won’t be seeing Bobbi again..”I announced and he stood from his desk with a slight grin, "Good. I prefer messy.Now let's talk about my caps." "Bobbi had some,but I never got a chance to count it,figured you'd want it fast as possible" I lied, course I counted, I was much too paranoid.

Hancock let out a chuckle,and I could feel my face flush slightly with fear, "Ah, look at you, scrambling around..You're off the hook. Ain't like I need the money." He shrugged as he handed me back the tin,and I look up at him in surprise"Wh-Really? Uh,Thanks"He nodded, "This thing with Bobbi.. It had to be done, but damn.”He muttered as he looked into my eyes before he leaned against the wall,his arms crossed, “Look at me. Have I turned into the man? Putting down people's freedom to do what comes natural? I gotta take a walk..Get back in touch with my fellow lowlifes.”He spoke more to himself than me,but I stepped a little closer as I listened to him,

“That's why I've decided. I'm coming with you. Hitting my strong room proves you've got that "devil take me" attitude I need to reconnect with."I was taken aback by this, "Why would you want to leave Goodneighbor?"I asked,and more over,why with me? "For one, you pulled a job on me. That means I'm getting too comfortable. Need to get out there and hone the razor.For two, Goodneighbor is about doing your own thing. If I don't leave every once and awhile, the power's gonna change me. Can't have that." He explained,and I nodded,nice to know he thought that way,because he was right,no one man should have so much power.

"Well..I'd be glad to have you with me" He nodded with a slight smile "Before we head out, I gotta have a little chat with the community. I'll meet ya afterwards."I nodded as I left the building,walking outside I saw everyone gathering around as Hancock called them,and followed suit,leaning against the wall on the other side of the bank as I watched him give his speech.

“Look everyone,”He started once everyone was gathered around, “I'm taking a walk. It's time for your fearless leader to get back out there. Mix it up in the dirt before I forget what that feels like.Goodneighbor and I, we got a connection.”There were some comments of disapproval,that his people needed him,He looked to me for a moment as he spoke, “But like any hot-and-heavy relationship, sometimes you gotta spend time apart.. Let things cool off. Remind yourself of who you are.”He looked back to his people, “So that's why I'm leaving. I'm still your mayor, I'm still gonna be here when you need me, but it's time for me to stop living so damn comfortable, because we all know, no one in power deserves to be comfortable for long.”He gave that lazy grin again, “Now! What's the best town in the Commonwealth? Where can someone live free? With no judgment?"

"Goodneighbor!”Everyone shouted,and he grin widened as he spoke with them, “Of the people,for the people!"He chuckled, "And don't let no one forget it!" He grinned,looking at me he winked before walking back into his office,I pushed off the wall,walking to the State House door to meet back up with him, he walked beside me as came out of the building, standing at the front of Goodneighbor.

“So,ready to head out?”I nodded slightly as I set Diamond City on my map, “Lead the way then”He smiled slightly,and I did so as he held the door to the gate open for me, “So..You’re people seemed very fond of you”I commented making him grin “Yeah,Goodneighbor is like a family, unlike Diamond City who is ready to turn on their neighbors at any moment” I looked over, “I’ve heard a lot of bad things about this town,people call it the great green jewel of the Commonwealth one minute,and the next I hear about how terrible the people are” Hancock nodded,

“It’s a great place,and it would be great for everyone,but not everyone is welcome in Diamond City”I nodded slightly, “Bobbi mentioned something like that,that’s why I was okay with breaking into their strongroom..Sounded like they owed the rest of the Commonwealth to me, so I figured they had it comin’ if anything” I told him,and he glanced over at me,grinning slightly, “See,I knew I’d like you” I flushed slightly at the comment “Oh,uh..Thanks”I chuckled slightly as I tucked my hair behind my ear slowly as we walked, and I could see him watching me as I did so, but I paid it no mind. Lucky for me, I had a partner now who could actually speak, Dogmeat wasn’t a great conversationalist on the road as one would expect..given he’s a dog, but it got lonely..What else was I supposed to do, I needed some form of communication.

Hancock helped a lot with getting to Diamond City, knew the safest route to the town. I looked over as we approached a shouting woman,the signs all pointed to this place, the old baseball stadium,Diamond City, now I get it. "What do you mean you can't open the gate? Stop playing around, Danny! I'm standing out in the open here, for crying out loud!" The man on the other line sighed, "I got orders not to let you in, Ms. Piper. I'm sorry. I'm just doing my job." Probably best not to approach..I looked to Hancock and he shrugged as we watched the angry ravenette.

"Agh... You open this gate right now, Danny Sullivan! I live here. You can't just lock me out!" The woman let out a frustrated sigh as she kicked the ground, suddenly realizing I was there, "Hey,You..You wanna get into Diamond City right?" She whispered, and I stumbled on my words for a moment "Uh,Yes,I-" "Shh. Play along."I looked to the intercom, and before I could speak up she started talking "Wha-What was that? You said you're a trader up from Quincy? You have enough supplies to keep the general store stocked for a whole month? Huh."She smiled,and gestured for me to keep quiet "You hear that, Danny? You gonna open the gate and let us in? Or are you going to be the one talking to crazy Myrna about losing out on all this supply?"The guy let out a sigh, "Geez, alright.. No need to make it personal, Piper..Give me a minute."She smiled,turning to me “Better head inside quick before ole' Danny catches on to the bluff.” I nodded, “After you”She nodded “Don’t mind if I do.” She said before walking in,I went to follow behind her but stopped once I noticed Hancock wasn’t following, I turned as I heard a voice behind us,looking at the Ghoul in confusion.

"Piper! Who let you back inside? I told Sullivan to keep that gate shut!" The man groched  
“Hancock,aren’t you coming?”He shook his head slightly as he tilted his hat down slightly “Sorry,Sunshine,but Diamond City don’t allow Ghouls inside.”He informed me,I was baffled, “Are you serious? That’s racist..”I muttered,the world took a huge step back on this one “Call it what you will, but that’s the way of the world,Sweets. People ain't too fond of Ghouls,just the way it is”I huffed “That’s terrible..”I muttered,and he gave a gentle smile “You go on ahead,I’ll wait for you”I sighed as I looked to the city “Alright.. but I hate this.”I told him,and he chuckled with a nod “Yeah, I know, now go get you some answers”I sighed slightly as I walked back up to the woman,

“-I'll have that printer scrapped for parts!" I raised my eyebrows at this slightly,the woman;Piper scoffed at this,unfazed. Pulling out a notepad,waving it"Oooh, that a statement, McDonough? "Tyrant mayor shuts down the press?"” Piper spoke,dramatically outstretching her arms as if animating the words before us,then she turned to me suddenly, "Why don't we ask the newcomer? You support the news? 'Cause the mayor's threatening to throw free speech in the dumpster."

I looked over to the man,who was now suddenly very aware of my presence, "I always did believe in freedom of the press"I spoke up "Oh, I didn't mean to bring you into this argument, Miss. No no no... You look like Diamond City material.Welcome to the great green jewel of the Commonwealth. Safe. Happy. A fine place to come, spend your money, settle down.Don't let this muckraker here tell you otherwise, all right?" I nodded slightly,not responding,I hated that fake smile already, "Yeah. Greatest house of cards in the Commonwealth... until the wind blows" I let out a soft chuckle at Piper,he let out a fake cough.

“Now, was there anything particular you came to our city for?"I nodded "I'm trying to find someone." He hummed slightly "Trying to find someone..ah,and uh..who would that be?"I let out a soft sigh,if I don’t tell them they might not deem it that important "My son. Shaun. He's less than a year old." I told him, "Oh no.."I heard the ravenette mutter softly,he looked uncomfortable, hesitant even, "A mayor of a great city must know everyone,do you know anyone who can help me?"I asked,looking up at the man,he shifted uncomfortably for a moment "Well, there is one private citizen. Nick Valentine. A... detective of sorts, who specializes in tracking people down. Usually for debts or whatnot."He told me before brushing off his coat with a cough "Now, I have to get going. I'm sorry Diamond City Security doesn't have time to help, but I'm sure Mister Valentine charges a reasonable fee."

Piper scoffed “This is ridiculous! Diamond City Security can't spare one officer to help? I want the truth, McDonough! What's the real reason security never investigates any kidnappings?" The mayor turned,pointing at her "I've had enough of this, Piper. From now on, consider you and that little sister of yours on notice."He huffed before flashing me that nervous,fake smile "Have a nice stay." I ignored him as Piper turned to me "I'm impressed, not everyone can claw information out of McDonough's tight-fisted hands. Hmm, why don't you stop by my office after you see Valentine? I think I just found my next story..."She muttered as she pulled out her notepad again as she walked away.

I followed into Diamond City,glancing back at Hancock who waved and I smiled in return. I ignored the fact that Piper’s comment bothered me,"next story"? Seriously,I'm not some story for her newspaper,I don't have time for that, I needed to find my son..Just have to go to this Nick Valentine..Hn,Valentine..Haven't heard that name in years.. but there's no way it's him..Probably just some guy who liked the name,maybe from the old newspapers..it was impossible that it was him..right?

The city was pretty big,very nice compared to what I’ve seen of the Commonwealth so far. Dogmeat scampered around town happily as I made my way through the streets of the town. Where was this place? I sigh in frustration as I was thinking about just giving up and asking I noticed a bright light flicker on,as I turned around I noticed it was red neon heart,beside it it read ‘Valentine Detective Agency’ I smiled slightly at it, Mama Murphy told me to follow the bright heart,and it’d lead me to a man, “Gotcha,you sob” I muttered before walking in.

No way it was Nick, he was no Ghoul, he was some kind of..robot. I don’t know what he was,but he certainly wasn’t the Nick I knew,but I didn’t dare bring it up. Funny enough,his secretary her name was also Ellie. She was sorting through case files while a woman dressed in a matching coat and hat to the detective got a notepad out, ready to hear my story, a story that I wasn’t at all ready to tell, but..I had to if he was going to help me. Along with her detective coat she wore an old blue dress,and black kitten heels. She had short cut,wavy dirty blonde hair,but you could almost see a tint of ginger in it,she had big,doe green eyes that sparkled slightly under the lights.

"When you're trying to find someone who's gone missing, the devil is in the details..Tell me everything you can, no matter how... painful it might be."I nodded slightly as I took a deep breath,mentally preparing myself "We're looking for my son, Shaun...He's less than a year old. I don't know would anyone take him.."Nick nodded "A good question. Why your family in particular, and why an infant?"The woman with the notepad;Grace chimed in "Someone would be taking on all of his care, and a baby needs a lot of it." Nick nodded in agreement,looking back at me "What else can you tell me?" I thought back for a moment to everything that played out,

"We were in a Vault when it happened. Vault 111. It was some kind of cryo facility." He hummed slightly "You were on ice, huh? More importantly..You were underground,Sealed up. That's a lot of obstacles to get through just to take one person."He muttered,and Grace wrote notes down, "There was a man and a woman. They didn't say much, but I remember they called me "the backup."”I told him "So we're talking a small team. Professionals. The kind that know to keep their lips tight when they're on the job. Not sure what "the backup" means though..." He commented,

"My husband was..."I let in a shaky breath,I almost couldn't say it.. "Murdered. He was just trying to..to keep them from taking Shaun and they...they just.."I let out a ragged breath as pain swollen in my chest,Grace looked at me with kind,gentle eyes "It's okay. You don't need to say anything more."Nick gave a soft sigh "So we're talking about a group of cold-hearted killers, but they waited until something went wrong to resort to violence..That confirms it. This isn't a random kidnapping. Whoever took your kid had an agenda.Hmm... There's a lot of groups in the Commonwealth that take people. Raiders, Super Mutants, the Gunners, and of course, there's the Institute."

I look between the two,his expression seemed pretty solemn,Grace looked a little more concerned "So you think this Institute is responsible?"He nodded his head slightly "Well, they're the boogeyman of the Commonwealth. Something goes wrong, everyone blames them.Easy to see why. Those early model Synths of theirs strip whole towns for parts, killing everything in their way.Then you got the newer models, good as human, that infiltrate cities and pull strings from the shadows.Worst of all, no one knows why they do it, what their plan is, or where they are. Not even me, and I'm a synth myself..A discarded prototype, anyway." So he was a 'Synth' prototype..whatever that meant,

"Either way, I need to find Shaun."I sighed slightly,and he nodded "Right,What else do you remember about them?"I thought for a moment "The woman was dressed in... I think it was a kind of hazard suit. The man had... some sort of metal brace on his arm..He came right up to me. Bald head, scar across his left eye.."Nick perked up at this, "Wait. It couldn't be... You didn't hear the name "Kellogg" at all, did you?"

I thought for a moment "I... might have... everything was foggy.."Nick turned to Grace "Grace,what notes do we have about the Kellogg case?"She perked up,going to get a file,Ellie handed it to her and she returned as she flipped through the notes "The description matches. Bald head. Scar across the left eye. Reputation for dangerous mercenary work, but no one knows who his employer is.And he bought a house here in town, right?..And he had a kid with him, didn't he?"Nick nodded,I felt hope swell in my chest "Yeah, that's right. The house in the abandoned West Stands,but the boy with him was around ten years old." And then it died,

"Maybe it's another kidnapped kid?" I suggested, "Yeah. Either that, or he's got a son of his own. Not a comforting thought in any case...Both of them vanished a while ago. Haven't been heard or seen since.Let's you and I take a walk over to Kellogg's last known address. See if we can snoop out where he went." Grace looked over as he stood,and I followed suit "Security doesn't really go to that part of town, but you two should still be careful." Nick smiled as we left, "I always am.."

“I didn't want Ellie to hear this, but I think you should know."He started as we walked down the street "Everything Grace and I dug up about Kellogg before his disappearance is bad news."I look over to him with a worried expression,maybe he shouldn't tell me either "He's more than just a mercenary. He's a professional. Quick, clean, thorough. Has no enemies, because they're all dead... Except you."He looked over at me as we walked up steps "But nine to one odds says he's our man. It's more than just you identifying his distinguishing features. The MO is all him as well.Leading a small team to kidnap a baby, and leaving one of the parents alive for later? Not many mercs in the Commonwealth can pull that off."He paused in front of the door,

"Here we are. Keep an eye out, will ya? Let's see if I can get this open."I nodded,Kellogg..The bastard that murdered my husband,he's extremely dangerous..and he has my baby boy.. "That's one hell of a lock... Got something to hide, Kellogg?"He muttered to himself as he fiddled with the lock "Why don't you give it a try?"I look over "Oh,uh,I'm not much of a lock picker"He nodded "Ah,That's alright"He hummed as he stood "Alright,The Mayor's office is near the entrance of the city."He pointed towards the stands near the front of the city "There's a platform that should take you up.If McDonough won't give you the key, try his secretary Geneva. She's not above taking a bribe...If all else fails, you could try breaking into Geneva's desk. Or maybe the Mayor's safe. Just be sure no sees you."I nod,feeling a bit nervous.

"This lock's pretty stubborn, but I'll keep at it. Gotta feeling we'll need that key, though.."I nodded as I left to make my way to the lift with Dogmeat.

"Why doesn't the mayor come out of his office, huh? He afraid of talking to the press?” I heard Piper’s voice as I got to the top,the platform extending “I bet if I said I was with the Institute, he'd come running..." Piper sighed "You ever think maybe you could get a man's attention easier if you used softer words, honey? Maybe shout a little less?"The blonde woman said,and Piper scoffed at her

"Ah, that reminds me of this article I'm writing about the mayor's affair with a certain air-headed, blonde..."She said,chuckling slightly at Geneva’s angered expression,turning slightly she noticed my presence "Ooooh, look who it is. What brings you to the Mayor's office, huh?" I didn’t feel like her snooping around in my personal business,keep it vague "Need to see the mayor about something.What are you doing here, Piper?"I asked,and her eyes lit up a bit,course she would want to talk about whatever it is she’s been up to,best way to distract her from me.

"Trying to find out why the Mayor happens to be meeting with the same suspicious looking courier every other week.”She informed me,scoffing slightly “Not from any settlement I've heard of. Not from a caravan. Always in and out before anyone has a chance to talk to him.An errand boy from the Institute maybe?”She said,tapping her pencil on a notepad “After this article comes out, that's what everyone's going to be asking." She muttered as she wrote,and Geneva sighed "If you are done crowding the reception area, Miss Piper, the Mayor needs to make time for more... responsible citizens"She commented,looking to me with a polite smile,Piper rolled her eyes"Hmph. I was just leaving anyway. Later,Blue"I ignore the odd nickname,waving her goodbye. I needed to focus for now "I need to talk to someone about Kellogg's old house in the West Stands." I said as I walked up to the desk

"Mister Kellogg's residence?”She inquired,thinking for a moment “He left town a while ago. We foreclosed on the property and locked it up.If there was something belonging to the man that you have a claim on, you could ask the mayor to hear you out. No guarantees."She told me,brushing me off as she looked down at some clipboard,I let out a slight sigh, "Please..All I want to do is find my baby boy. The man who owned that house kidnapped him." I pleaded,and she looked up with a sympathetic look in her eyes

"Oh my..”She muttered softly, “Well,You do seem like a sweetheart…”She sighed “Oh..All right.”She said as she pushed herself from her chair,holding up a key,whispering slightly “I'm just going to leave this key on my desk and "forget" I put it there.”She said as she turned,standing as she went to a filing cabinet, “Thank you..”I whispered as I slipped the key into my pocket,and she turned to me slightly as I stepped onto the lift “Your baby's lucky he has a mother like you..I hope you find him."She gave a soft smile,genuine,not fake like before. I smiled back thankfully “Thank you..”I said as I pressed the button once Dogmeat joined me on the platform.

“Ah,You got the key,Nice work”Nick said as I handed it to him,he unlocked the door,and we walked in,taking in the place,it was a small home,a desk,old chairs,and old TV the only real furnishing,and steps to upstairs“Let's take a look around. Kellogg must have left something behind.”I nodded as I headed up the steps,looking around,a single bed,and a dresser,some chems,but not much else “Place seem small to you? Figured a guy like Kellogg would think big..." Nick commented from below me,I nodded in agreement as I walked back down the steps when I noticed a wire above me.

A wire? To what,The lights maybe? No,had to be something else..They didn’t lead to the light bulb at all,I followed the wire as it draped down the side of the steps,that’s when I noticed it. A faint red glow from under the desk,kneeling down I pressed a button,it gave a faint click,and the wall shifted,I stood and Nick turned his attention to the wall that opened into a small room "Well... That's one way to hide a room.”He commented as I walked up beside him,looking at the shelves “Look at this. All of a merc's favorite things..." He muttered as he walked in,I felt my heart jump into my throat when I saw a figure in the corner behind a shelf. Freaking mannequins.

I walked over to the couch,looking on the small table beside it as Nick looked through the shelf beside it,I scanned the items before me,picking up a bottle"Gwinnett stout beer..”I muttered,kneeling down to pick up a bullet,examining it “.44 Caliber bullets..cigars..”I muttered as I picked one up and read the faded label “San Francisco Sunlights.."Nick hummed as he walked over,taking it from my hand as he examined the half smoked cigar, "Interesting brand..Won't lead us anywhere on its own, though." I nodded slightly before looking at Dogmeat who was sitting there,chipper as ever. The cigar..It was half smoked,meaning he’d used it,Maybe..

"What about Dogmeat? A Commonwealth mutt like him can track a scent for miles..." I commented,he’d tracked down enemies for me before,he had a sharp nose,no surprise for a german shepard. Dogmeat barked happily and Nick ruffled his fur with a faint chuckle "Well, Dogmeat seems eager for the job. Why don't you let him have a whiff? See if he picks up on the trail." I nodded,letting him sniff at it,his ears perked up as he sniffed the ground,running to the door he sat down,pawing at the door eagerly.We followed him out of the city where Hancock stood as Dogmeat dashed passed him before turning around to look at me,waiting for my arrival as he sniffed the ground. Hancock approached us and I smiled. “Took you long enough,Sunshine.”I chuckled slightly “Yeah,sorry.”Nick looked over as he approached,looking at Dogmeat waiting patiently,patient but eagger that is.

"Before you head out... I know this is personal business. If you have to face Kellogg on your own, just say so." I looked over at Nick. Alone...I don’t know if I could do that on my own.. "We've been together a long while,Sunshine,but I'll stay behind too,if that's what you want." Hancock commented,and Nick looked to him for a moment before they both looked towards me. "No,No-I want you both by my side..I'll need you" I told them,looking to Nick on my right "All right. Let's get that bastard. This is your show from here on out, okay? You say jump, I'll say how high."I smiled slightly,looking to Hancock on my left “And you know I won’t hesitate to follow you to the ends of the Earth,if you’ll let me”I smiled softly,Hancock and I had become fast friends during our travels,he was a pretty intimidating guy,but he was actually very kind. He had a good heart,and his intentions are good,I trusted him with my life because he proved he was capable,and more than willing to protect it. “Thank you,both of you.”I smiled genuinely.

The trip took a good while,but we got through with minor bumps along the way,nothing we couldn’t handle until Dogmeat finally sprinted for an old building,pawing at the boarded up entrance. “Is he in there boy?”I asked and he barked,running in a circle before pawing at it again, “I knew Dogmeat would sniff our man out. Let's take it from here,Give our four-legged friend a break.”I nodded in agreement, petting Dogmeat, scratching his ears, “You stay here,Dogmeat,it’s dangerous” He may be a tough,practically invincible pup,but I didn’t want to get him involved in this,it was too dangerous,Kellogg was part of the Institute, from what Nick and Hancock have told me,there could be a lot of ‘Gen. 1 and 2’ Synths who kill on sight,given his position,I wouldn’t be surprised,so I’d rather keep Dogmeat away from as much unnecessary damner as possible. He obeyed and laid on the ground,looking up at me and I smiled “Good boy”I told him as we walked away to find a way in.

I was right,the place was crawling with Synths,it was insane,and I’m honestly surprised we made it as far as we did and,thanks to the boys,I wasn’t dead yet. We’d made our way down hallways,as we opened a door to a new area a voice came over the intercom "Well,If it isn't my old friend, the frozen TV dinner.”I felt ice crawl through my veins as the voice gave me a terrible nostalgia of the Cryo-Pod. Kellogg. “Last time we met, you were cozying up to the peas and apple cobbler..Sorry your house has been a wreck for two hundred years. But I don't need a roommate. Leave." I glared into the ceiling as he spoke,marching forward as I helped Nick and Hancock fight the Synths.

"Hmph. Never expected you to come knocking on my door. Gave you 50/50 odds of making it to Diamond City. After that? Figured the Commonwealth would chew you up like jerky.Look. You're POed. I get it. I do. But whatever you hope to accomplish in here? It is not going to go your way." I let out a faint growl as he spoke,he was distracting me. I needed to focus while I was fighting.

We came into a sort of dining area,Nick hacked a terminal as Kellogg spoke."You've got guts and determination, and that's admirable.”He started,and Hancock looked to me as he spoke,my anger was growing with every syllable that left his mouth. “But you are in over your head in ways you can't possibly comprehend.It's not too late. Stop. Turn around and leave. You have that option. Not a lot of people can say that." Nick turned to me as he got the door unlocked with a mechanical click,I pushed the door open violently as I marched forward,not listening to him.

We finally we made it to a large room,it had junk all over it,everything was old,and worn down,but there was a fresh,clean bed in it along with odd looking boxes filled with medical supplies and ammo. After we searched for anything we would need I went to press open a door,but nothing happened,and I kicked it in anger when Kellogg’s voice chimed in. "Okay, you made it. I'm just up ahead.”He informed me “My Synths are standing down. Let's talk."His voice cut out and the door clicked open,I pushed it wide open,marching forward as we made our way down a narrow hall,walking up the steps to a wide open door. It was pitch black for a moment before lights flickered on and Kellogg came into view.

"And there she is. The most resilient woman in the Commonwealth." I glared as I marched right past his Synths,and up to the man "You murdering, kidnapping psychopath.”I growled,I tried to keep my cool,but I just couldn’t. “Give me my son. Give me Shaun! Now!"I shouted and he gave a deep chuckle as he nodded "Your son, Shaun.”I hated the way my baby’s name sounded on his lips,but before I could tell him he didn’t deserve to speak his name,he continued

“Great kid. A little older than you may have expected, but I'm guessing you figured that out by now, but if you're hoping for a happy reunion? Ain't gonna happen, Sweetheart. Your boy's not here." I glared at him,growling slightly "Tell me where he is, damn it!" I demanded,and he gave a slight nod "Fine. I guess you've earned that much..Shaun's in a good place. Where he's safe, and comfortable, and loved. A place he calls home. The Institute." I glared slightly at him, "The Institute..Doesn’t matter;I'll find him, no matter where he is. Nothing will stop me." I told him.He let out a short laugh,

"That's the spirit. You know, you surprise me..I have to admit, I find myself actually kind of... liking you."I glared at him, "You might've actually been a good mother. And I admire your dedication. Even if it is ultimately useless.”I felt anger boiling all over my body as he spoke, “But I think we've been talking long enough.”He started “We both know how this has to end. So…”He said as he stepped back “You ready?"I glared at him as I pulled out my gun,looking him straight in the eyes.

"In a hundred years, when I finally die, I only hope I go to Hell so I can kill you all over again, you piece of sheet."I growled,and he smiled. Kellogg pulled out an odd,box looking object and clicked a switch,disappearing in front of me,I stepped back as I heard gunshot from behind me,Right,Nick and Hancock were here.. They wouldn’t let me die. I hid behind a wall of the cubicle to a computer,How was I supposed to fight a man I couldn’t see?

I felt a phantom arm yank me up as I peeked around the corner,I was lifted into the air,tossed forward roughly,I landed on my shoulder and hip with a loud thud,rolling slightly to get away from him,I struggled to stand,Kellogg flickered back into view as I felt a weight on me,he gripped me by the throat and I let out a struggled sound as I gasped for air. Hell no. I did not come this far just to be strangled by this man,I struggled to get away from him though,I tried kicking up my knee into his crotch,but I couldn’t get any wiggle room,everything became very distant,and echoing.

I suddenly felt his grip loosen,and gasped for air as I saw Hancock holding him by the forehead,pulling Kellogg towards him,blood blossomed over the front of his shirt,and Hancock’s long bowie knife poked through,I panted as I tossed Kellogg off of me when Hancock pulled his knife away,I pulled out my gun as I straddled Kellogg,who was holding his stomach as he bled out,I shot at Kellogg when he looked up at me,he gave a smirk and I shot repeatedly until my gun clicked,I then grabbed my knife from my belt loop,repeatedly stabbing his long dead corpse as I screamed.

I felt myself lifted off of him suddenly. “Sunshine,Hey,you need to calm down.”Hancock’s voice spoke,breaking through the blur of red in my vision. I painted as blinked rapidly while I looked down to Kellogg’s body,hiding my face in Hancock’s red frock as I cried I felt Hancock hug me to him as I sobbed, I hadn’t cried in a while, all of the emotions overwhelmed me….

I just wanted my son back. "It's over... I've lost him.."I muttered as Hancock stood me all the way up on my feet, "Look, I know it feels like a shot in the heart, but this case isn't closed. Not while I'm on it." Nick told me as he walked to a terminal "Thanks,Nick.."He nodded slightly "I'll check out the terminal, you get some rest, and supplies for the road"I nodded in return, Hancock made sure I was okay, and I decided to loot from Kellogg. Maybe he had something else on him to tell me about Shaun.

As I examined him,I noticed a lot of gears,and metallic bones with small sparks coming from parts of his wounds,I looked at him in confusion “All this tech...You were barely human”I muttered.

"So, Kellogg wasn't giving us any bull.”Nick announced as he looked over, “Your son really is on the inside.. but we’ve still got one problem;How to get in,even I don't know where the Institute is, and they built me." He said,and I looked over,standing "There has to be a way, Nick...You have to know..something" I insisted, "The sad truth is, I have no idea. None of us do. You'd think they'd cut me loose if I had something on 'em?" I sighed slightly,he had a point, "I guess not..I'm sorry,Nick..It's just..We're so close.." I muttered,and he let out a sigh

"It’s alright..”He muttered “We're in the weeds, here.. Time to take a step back. Bring in some fresh eyes..Only person I know willing to snoop up the Institute's tail feathers is Piper, the reporter in Diamond City. I say we head her way. Talk this through." I nodded softly as I stared down at Kellogg "Diamond City it is.." I felt him tilt my head up slightly,gently ruffling my hair "Hey, chin up,Kid. I know the night just got darker, but it won't last forever."I smiled softly up at him, "Thanks,Nick.." We made our way back outside and I noticed Nick stop in his tracks,staring into the sky,I followed his gaze and was shocked when I saw a large blimp in the sky,a slight static rang in the air for a moment before a voice echoed throughout the Common.

"People of the Commonwealth,Do not interfere,Our intentions are peaceful..We are the Brotherhood of Steel" I watched as the blimp floated across the sky slowly,Vertibirds emerging from aircraft,flying off, “Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing..”Nick muttered to himself,I glanced over to him, "Holy sheet.Brotherhood knows how to make an entrance. I'll give em' that"Hancock announced, “Brotherhood of Steel..?” Asked curiously as I looked up.

I wonder if they could help me get to Shaun..


	3. Kellogg's Brain and Becoming the Shroud

I decided to stop by Sanctuary,maybe Mama Murphy could shine some light on something useful, Hancock and Nick didn’t seem to mind. Given that Mama Murphy was right about the Deathclaw and to ‘Follow the signs to the brightheart’ which lead me to Nick,so I thought maybe she could help,so I bought her some Jet,and let her have it. We were sitting in the house across from my old one,I was on the couch with Hancock waiting for Mama to tell me what she saw as she sat in that green chair of hers,Nick was leant against the doorway of the home,he didn’t much approve of my giving the old woman the chems,but I was desperate for anything really. 

"You're walking into a sea, but it's not water you're afraid of drowning' in..”I furrowed my brows at this,a sea that..wasn’t water? “It's something... invisible... but... radiant...It burns everything in it, but…”She furrowed her brows as she tried to focus “No...No,I can feel them. There's people. Calling out to something. Chanting.They can show you the way... but... they're so hard to read... Be careful around them.”She opened her eyes with a slight sigh as she rubbed her head “Whew...I'm gonna need to rest now, kid."I nodded slightly and stood,Hancock followed suit,tailing behind me as we left the house,Nick joining us as we walked down the street.

“I like that old bat,she’s crazy”Hancock chuckled “It sounds like she’s talking about the Glowing Sea”I turned to Nick, “What’s that?”Nick lit a cigarette,as he looked over “It’s a place at the edge of the Common,it’s where one of the bombs dropped.”He told me,I looked ahead,remembering where the mushroom cloud had come from. “She does seem like a bit of a kook, Marlow, sure you trust her?”Nick and I had talked about the fact that he had the memories of pre-war Nick,and calling one another by our last names was an old habit I’d missed, “She’s been right before.. I trust her, Valentine”He nodded as we continued to walk,Hancock put an arm around me “Alright,Let’s go see if we can get us some answers.”

"Well, well, Nicky Valentine walks into my office for a change." Piper spoke as we walked through the door, "What can I say, Piper? You, me, and hard luck all seem to run together like acid rain down an old sewer." Piper chuckled as she looked over to me, "You, uh, including your client here in that analogy? So,You're back.”She gave a quick glance around us “And... not with your son. What happened?" I sighed slightly "Kellogg did have my son. But that wasn't all. He was working with the Institute. He... he gave them Shaun…”I informed her,and she took in a slow deep breath.

“The Institute? Hoo boy…”She muttered as she sat on her couch “I've been investigating these creeps for over a year now. The Commonwealth's boogeyman..Feared and hated by everyone.”I walked over to sit with her as she spoke,her eyes following me as I did so “Sometimes they snatch people in the middle of the night. And sometimes they leave old synths behind to remind us that they're out there.”She let out a sigh “But to this day, there's one thing nobody really knows-" "Where the Institute actually is. Or how to get in." Nick cut in as he put out his cigarette. "Exactly.”Piper sighed before perking up slight “But there's one person who must know, right?”She started as she leaned forward “The guy who just handed them Shaun."

"Kellogg. Huh..." Nick started,and I nodded as I rested my elbows on my knees "Man like that would have had access. In and out." I agreed,"But we both know that angle isn't going to work..." Nick commented,and I let out a faint sigh as I nodded "Because I killed him.."I said,and Piper’s eyebrows rose slightly as she gave a short nod.

"So,a murderer and a kidnapper gets his brains blown out by an avenging parent..”She sighed “It'd be a great ending if we didn't still have the biggest mystery in the Commonwealth to solve..." She muttered,and I looked down,I leaned back in the couch with a sigh "He wasn't going to talk. Even if we’d had a way of bringing him alive" Hancock spoke in a reassuring tone from his spot leaned against the wall,he wasn’t supposed to be in Diamond City,but I needed my friends support right now,so he just walked in with us,earned us a lot of dirty looks,and nasty comments the boys had to keep me from punching people in the face for.

""Gets his brains blown out..." Huh…His brains..” Nick started,more to himself than the rest of us, “You know, we may not need the man at all." He spoke up,and Piper looked at him confused, "Uuuh..You're talking crazy here,Nick.”She started “Got a fault in the ole' subroutines?"Nick sighed slightly,shaking his head "Look, there's a place in Goodneighbor called the Memory Den,You can re-live the past moments in your mind as clear as the day they happened" He explained,I sat forward as Hancock nodded in agreement "Hm,Nicky might be right,we could see Doc about it" I sighed faintly "I hope you guys are right.."

Nick hummed "Let's see... I guess we're going to need a piece of Kellogg's brain. Enough gray matter to bring to Amari and find out if this is going to work..." He said,thinking out loud,and Piper looked at him in disgust at the idea "Jesus, Nick... Gross! Seriously?" The Synth detective sighed slightly "Look,I know it's grisly, but what choice do we have?”Piper leaned back against the couch as he spoke “We got no leads. Nothing. That old merc's brain just might have all the secrets we need to know."I thought back to the tech that was on Kellogg as I pulled my bag off,

"Actually...I think I already have something.”I started,pulling out an old Mentats tin,opening it “Kellogg had this…”I handed the tin to Nick “Thing attached to his head”I explained,and Hancock looked over at me, “Uh..Sunshine,Why do you even have that..?”I looked over slightly shrugging “It’s from the Institute..I thought if anything it could get us caps,he owes me that much.."I explained "Cybernetics, huh? We may have just won the lottery.."Nick spoke up “To Goodneighbor it is then” I said as I rose “Alright,good luck you guys,I’ll be here if you need me” Piper said as we left,I thanked her before we headed out.

“Well, well. Mister Valentine. I thought you had forgotten about little ole' me." The blonde woman who was draped over the couch spoke,and Nick gave her a smile"May have walked out of the Den, Irma, but I'd never walk out on you." Nick’s partner;Grace had joined us on our way out,and she seemed bothered by the comment,but looked away as they spoke,"Hmph. Amari's downstairs, ya’ big flirt."Irma chuckled,watching us,or rather Nick, as we walked down stairs. Once at the bottom we stood while Nick approached the woman,"Hey,Doc,can we chat?"Nick spoke up,and she turned away from what she was doing, “Yes-Oh”She looked around at us “I uh,take it this isn't a social call?" I stepped forward as I spoke,both of them looking at me as I did so."We need your help, Amari. I need the memories from a man named Kellogg, but he's dead." I explained,and Nick looked back at Amari as her eyebrows furrowed "I know it's asking for a miracle, Amari, but you've pulled off the impossible before.." Amari shook her head, "Are you two mad?!Putting aside the fact that you're asking me to defile a corpse, you do realize that the memory simulators require intact, living brains to function?"

"This dead brain had inside knowledge of the Institute, Amari. The biggest scientific secret of the Commonwealth..You need this, and so do we." Amari sighed as she ran a hand through her hair slightly “Fine. I'll take a look, but no guarantees. Do you... have it with you?”I stepped forward,pulling the Mentats tin out,handing it to her "Here's what I could find.." She opened it,and examined the gray matter,"What's this? This isn't a brain!This is...”She scoffed before taking a closer look at it as realization grew over her face,

“Wait...That's the hippocampus!”Hippo-what-now? “And this thing attached to it...A neural interface?"Nick looked at it as she thought out loud "Huh,Those circuits look awfully familiar..." Amari turned to him,"I'm not surprised. From what I've seen, all Institute technology has a similar architecture." She explained before thinking for a moment "Mister Valentine is an older generation synth,but, Institute technology being what it is... The brain implant could fit him,but that's... an incredible risk to take.”She explained,looking to me “We're talking about wiring something to his brain."Nick shrugged slightly shaking his head"Don't worry about me, Amari. I'm well past the warranty date, anyway." I furrowed my brows slightly,

"Nick,If it's not safe,I don't-" "I'll be fine. I promised I'd help find your boy,this is our only way to get information on them" I looked over as Grace stepped closer,looking like she wanted to say something,worry clear on her face “Yeah,but..”I muttered to myself.  
"Whenever you're ready, Mister Valentine. Just sit down." Amari spoke,stepping back so Nick could sit down "If I start cackling like an old, grizzled mercenary, pull me out, okay?"He commented,Amari started fiddling with the back of his head as she spoke.

"Let's see here..I need you to keep talking to me, Mister Valentine. Any slight change in your cognitive functions could be dire.”She told him,pausing for a moment as she worked “Are you... feeling any different?" Nick blinked,and closed his eyes "There's a lot of... flashes... static... I can't make sense of any of it, doc." Amari let out a slight sigh,"That's what I was afraid of.”She turned to us “The mnemonic impressions are encoded.It appears the Institute has one last failsafe. There's a lock on the memories in the implant." She explained,I looked over at Nick

"Is Nick going to be okay?" I asked, "Yes, the connections appear to be stable. Hopefully, it'll be as simple as unplugging the implant once we're done..But that doesn't get around the current problem. The memory encryption is too strong for a single mind…”She thought for a moment “But...What if we used two?We load both you and Mister Valentine into the memory loungers. Run your cognitive functions in parallel." I looked over to Nick before nodding “If you think it’ll work,we’ve gotta give it a shot.”

Amari nodded before heading over to a pod,clicking a button to open it up, "Alright. Let's get started.Just sit down over there. And... keep your fingers crossed."I looked over at the pod and climbed into it,as I leaned back I felt anxiety wash over me when the pod sealed shut,I felt a sudden rush of cold, like I was thrown into snow,I shivered violently as memories of the Vault flashed through my head,I felt like the air around me became thin,and I struggled to breath,hyperventilating as my panic attack began taking over,I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to get them to go away,

"Eleanor,I'm going to need you to remain calm"Amari’s voice broke through the visions,and I opened my eyes,my breathing still ragged,and I swear I could see white clouds forming around me as I let them out,Hancock walked over standing beside me outside the pod,placing a hand on the glass as he looked at me"Don't worry,Sunshine,I'm right here,we're all here for you,we're not gonna let anything happen to you,I promise."He assured me,I nodded as I closed my eyes,taking long deep breaths,calming myself I could feel my breath turn from freezing cold,to warm as I let out a deep breath before opening my eyes to Amari’s voice “Very good,her heart rate is back to normal,are you ready Eleanor?” I nodded slightly as I looked up at Hancock. “I’m ready.”

Being inside of Kellogg’s head was very disoriented,it was so odd to hear someone else’s voice replace my conscious,he had had a pretty rough life,and I almost felt bad for him. Almost. He made the decision to murder my husband,and take my baby. He chose to do everything that lead him down this path,and there was no excuse,his childhood didn’t justify all the lives he destroyed.

I found myself in a very familiar scece..the Vault. I watched as Kellogg walked down the hall from Nate’s pod,I watched his frozen body holding our son tightly,my phantom hand resting on the glass. I looked as the woman pressed the button to open the pod before looking back to my husband as he woke up,I stepped back when I saw his brilliant hazel green eyes open,turning away with my eyes closed as he spoke,I looked up to myself as I woke up,the realization on my face when Kellogg pulled out his gun

“I'm not giving you Shaun!”Nate’s voice shouted. I knew the gunshot was coming,but I still flinched when it echoed through the vault,watching the pure horror on my face before I screamed,pounding on the door. I walked away from the scene as Kellogg approached me “At least we still have a back up”

“I'm, uh.... I'm sorry you had to go through that again.”Amari’s voice spoke as the memory faded away “I've found another intact memory..Whenever you're ready.” I made my way into the next memory,I was in Kellogg’s house in Diamond City, but my attention was immediately drawn to the young boy sitting on the ground reading.

I approached the boy as he read,he was surrounded by comics...Nate always had loved those old comics. I didn’t much pay attention to what was going on around me,the boy stood when he was spoken to,and then I saw them...He had bright,Hazel green eyes..Just like Nate’s;It had to be him. “Shaun..?”I muttered to myself, "Is that... your son? So..Good news, I think." Amari spoke,she must have heard me.

I watched Shaun walk to the man,standing beside him “Bye, Mr. Kellogg! I hope I'll see you again sometime!”I almost wanted to cry,I got to hear my baby boy’s voice,my god..I wanted to hear it forever,but he disappeared in a blinding flash of blue “Bye..”Kellogg’s voice muttered in the background,and I heard Amari speak up "Teleportation..! Now it all makes sense! Nobody's found the entrance to the Institute because there is no entrance! Let me pull you out of there. As soon as you're ready..."

I groaned in slight pain as light flooded my vision,realizing I was back in the Memory Den I stood as the pod opened,stepping out of it,Amari approached,her arms out and ready incase I fell down, "Slow movements, okay? I don't know what kind of side effects the procedure might have had. No one's ever... done this before.”I nodded as she sat me down in the chair Nick had been in before, “How do you feel?"I rubbed bridge of my nose slightly "Bit of a migraine.. but other than that,I'm okay, Amari. Thank you..." She nodded "That's good, but I want you to keep monitoring yourself. We have to be sure there's no long-term damage.”She told me “Are you... ready to talk about what happened in there?" She asked gently "We got what we needed. The Institute uses teleportation to get in and out." She nodded

"Yes. Their greatest secret has finally been revealed..But that only leads to more questions. How does it work? Where do we go next?”She trailed off in thought, “Perhaps that scientist they were talking about..”She thought for a moment “Virgil! A rogue Institute scientist could answer all kinds of questions.Where did the memory say he was? The Glowing Sea? That doesn't make sense. No one goes there. Not even if they were desperate." I thought back on all the crazy cases I’d heard over the years,people would hide in bizarre,and often dangerous places that no one would expect,

"That's why he's there..Make the Institute think twice about following him." I commented,and she nodded in agreement "That must be it.He's using the radiation in the Glowing Sea like a shield or a.. cloak... a way to throw them off and be at an advantage.”She looked to me,pulling herself out of her mind dazed with questions,“If Virgil found a way to survive there, you'll have to do the same, if you're going to follow him." I nodded in acknowledgement,

"I'll find a way to get through the rads. Don't worry."She nodded slightly"Good luck, and be safe..By the way, I unplugged Mister Valentine first. Removed the implant while you were waking up. He's waiting for you upstairs,That partner of his is with the Mayor in the Third Rail waiting for you."I nod as I stood up, "Thank you,Amari" She have a short nod “I’m glad to help”

I made my way upstairs to Nick,approaching him “Hey,Valentine”I spoke as I rubbed my head,he have a smirk..Not a Nick smirk either,it wasn’t playful and charming,It seemed...wicked,He stood,stepping towards me "Hope you got what you were looking for inside my head.”My eyes widened in terror as he tilted my chin up slightly,

“Heh. I was right. Should've killed you when you were on ice." I stared at Nick for a moment as he towered over me,I felt ice crawl over like a spider with sharp nettles for legs,before I could even think I pulled out my gun,pointing it right at Nick’s head,but all I could see was Kellogg."Listen here,I will kill you all over again you,Son of a bitch!"I growled in anger,the smirk was replaced with shock,and confusion,arms in the air slightly in defense.

"Woah! Wh-What's going on?!"Nick spoke,not in that deep,more robotic tone,but in his voice "...Nick?" I asked,but I didn’t lower the gun,Kellogg could just be pretending to be him "Yes! What's the matter with you!"Nick said with his voice raised "You..You sounded like Kellogg..I...I'm sorry..I didn't"I whispered softly "It's fine..” He started,lowering the gun before taking it “Doc said there might be some "mnemonic impressions" left over...I should have her check it out before I get back out onto the road again..”He held the gun out for me to take “I guess this is where we part ways then”

I nodded slightly as I took the gun,“Thank you for all your help,Nick”I said,hugging him suddenly,he stumbled slightly in surprised,hesitantly he wrapped one arm around my waist,the other softly stroking my hair,Pre-War Nick used to do so all the time when comforting me, “No problem,I’m glad to help”He said softly before I pulled away “Sorry for hugging you”He shook his head “Just not used to it”I smiled slightly “I’ll see you later,Valentine”He smiled slightly “Later,Marlow.”

We decided the best way to be safe from radiation would be to get me some Power Armor. It would take us a while,and I couldn’t afford to just buy a suit. I needed to find work,any simple job I could get would work,really. I was currently in the Memory Den,it was the quietest place in Goodneighbor since everyone in here is pretty much sleeping. Irma suggested if I needed work to talk to ‘Kent’,see if he needed any help. Couldn’t hurt to ask.

I headed to the room she pointed me to,and opened the door“Hey,Irma you got the Memory Pod loaded up?-Oh, you're not Irma.”the man said,he was a ghoul too,dressed in a suit,he looked kinda sad,and very timid “No,Sorry-My name is Ellie”I told him,and he turned in his chair to face me more,

“My name’s Kent Connolly,I run the radio here; You ever listen to the Silver Shroud?”He asked,but before I could respond he turned to the radio slightly,and spoke to himself “That's who we need..No matter how bleak things got he'd save the day.” I waited to see if he’d continue before speaking up

“Oh yeah-My family and I used to listen to every new episode.” I informed him,that caught his attention, “You mean, when they first aired? How? The last broadcast was hundreds of years ago.”I nodded slightly “I was in cryogenic storage for a long time. I only just woke up.”His eyes lit up in intrigue, “Oh man, that's amazing..! You're just like Mister Abominable from Episode 83.”I gave a slight chuckle “Wasn't he... a cave man?”I commented,trying my best to remember,Nate loved comic books,and loved listening to the Shroud,I thought it was dorky in a cute kinda way,so I’d listen to every episode with him..

“Yeah! That’s him”Kent spoke,looking almost amazing I knew that,and I gave a chuckle “Then yes,it was..something like that”I told him,he reminded me of Nate when he first told me about the Shroud, “Oh-Boy, if you just woke up. The world these days, must take some getting used to.”He spoke with a sudden realization,and I gave a faint smile “It is,but it seems like people are doing pretty well for themselves,all the rebuilding and recovering from the nuclear war.” I told him,and he nodded slightly “Maybe in some parts. Like Diamond City...but over here? We got a ways to go..”He started,turning fully to look at me, “I got a question for you:What if the Silver Shroud was real? With his black trench coat and gleaming silver submachine gun? I got a plan to bring him to life..So he can fight bad guys and give the rest of us a symbol of something better."

I gave a smile"Good on you for trying to make the world better."Nate would have loved that idea, "I just have to do something, you know?”I smiled,nodding in agreement “I've built my own custom machine gun. Even better than the one in the show.And they actually got one, here in Boston,the costume is at Hubris Comics. They made it for the TV show...Will you help?"I nodded “Of course,Kent-I’d love to”

“That's just... great!” I chuckled softly,he was kind of childish,but he was sweet,I think Nate would have been more than willing to help him,too. “So,What’s the plan?” I asked,and he smiled “Once you get the costume,we clean the streets. Together we can make a real difference!”I chuckled,nodding

“We sure will”.

Since Nate loved comics,I knew exactly where to go,Hancock was happy to join me after a quick drink at the Third Rail,we had a run in with a bunch of Ferals,but other than that,we did alright for ourselves. I found an old script that never aired,as well as an old,signed photo of the Shroud himself,figured Kent would want them,I also found a Grognak the Barbarian costume,I remembered Nate’s comic in my bag,and took the costume,for him.. I got the Shroud’s costume,and hat to go with it. On the way out I found a bunch of old,but salvageable comics. I wonder if Shaun would like these when he grew up..So,I packed them up,and we made our way back.

"After all these years, the Silver Shroud is born again!”Kent laughed as he held the costume,but then gave a frown “But... there's just one problem.”He started “What,Is there something wrong with the costume?” I asked,examining it,and he shook his head “No,No-It’s perfect..It’s just..I'm just not Silver Shroud material. I could be Rhett Rhinehart or-or his butler Jarvey Blake. But the Shroud is strong, capable."

I shook my head slightly, "Hey,come on-Don't sell yourself short."He looked up "I got a better idea who should wear it! You up for being the Silver Shroud?”I looked at him in shock,“I’d love to help,Kent,but,why me?” I asked, “Well,You already got your own origin story and everything. What with the cryovault and all,”He started,sitting in his seat “Besides you helped me out when everyone else just laughed at me. And you're from the olden days, like me.You know how much things have fallen..How much we got to fight for. To make the place b-better. So you in?"I smiled slightly and looked at the costume in my hands, “Well,Looks like you’ve got yourself a Shroud,Kent”I told him,

“That’s great! I’ll get the Shroud’s machine gun from upstairs!”He said as he ran off,I looked over at Hancock as he smiled “What?”I asked,and he just shook his head “Just a nice thing you’re doing for Kent”I shrugged my shoulders slightly “He’s a nice guy,I don’t see any reason not to help”

Kent came in before Hancock could speak,and he just leaned against the wall smiling as Kent showed me a submachine gun,looked like it had a fresh coat of metallic paint,the wood sanded down,and stained black,it was a really nice gun, “This is great Kent,thanks”I smiled in praise,and he smiled wide “Okay,Okay! So,I’ll announce the Shroud while you get changed” He beamed and I chuckled,I went across the hall to the restrooms. Unlatching my Pip-Boy,I set it on the sink,tuning to the Shroud station to listen as I undressed,

“Change is coming to Goodneighbor!It's happening. Even the doubters got to believe - the Shroud's flesh and blood.The Shroud's gone away on an important mission, but don't lose heart. He'll be back.Until then, do what you can to help Goodneighbor. Together, we can do it!”

I smiled,pulling on the coat as Kent finished the announcement,wrapping the scarf around my neck,and stuffing it into my buttoned up coat,and placed the hat on my head,the costume was a little loose,so I had to tighten the belt around the coat,but other than that,it looked pretty good. I pulled on the gloves as I walked through the door,looking to Kent I held my arms out to show him the costume,and he stated in awe,

“Wow,It’s even better than I’d imagined,this is so cool..” He realized he was staring and turned away suddenly,I think he’d blush if he could, “Oh! I almost forgot,I made you some calling cards for when you take the bad guys down”He told me as he pulled a bundled up stack of cards,handing them to me “You can leave them behind,show people the Shroud got em’!”I nodded as I took them,slipping them into the coat pocket, “Thanks Kent” I smiled “So,how will I know when you need my help?” I asked and he looked up “Oh! Just uh,tune in anytime you’re in town,I’ll kind of.. guide you around through that”I nodded “I don’t mind starting now”He smiled “Great! Just,tune in outside,the first job is going to be just around the corner in the alley”I nodded and made my way out,tuning in,

“The Silver Shroud is here and he's going to clean up the streets.Everyone heard how Wayne Delancy m-murdered poor Miss Selmy and her kid, over a few lousy caps.Death is coming for you, Wayne”

I made my way into the alley,and saw two men with submachine guns surrounding a dead body as another searched it. I took out a grenade,pulling the pin,and rolling it towards them,but not right where they are,I didn’t want to destroy the victim's body in case someone cared for them. The grenade went off and all men were on alert,I climbed up an old fire escape along the side of the building as they shouted,and reached a couple floors up,just enough that they wouldn’t see me right away. I shot them from above with Hancock’s help to take them down. We eventually got them all,and we climbed down once we realized no one was shooting at us,I left the calling cards on their bodies as we exited from the alley.

I turned to Hancock as we walked,he was chuckling to himself “What?” I asked and he shook his head slightly “Just, you’re dressed as a comic hero,fighting crime” I looked over at him “Says the one wearing the clothes of a historical figure”He chuckled “We’re both playing dress up,so don’t you laugh at me,Mayor”I chuckled slightly,and he nodded as we stood outside of the Third Rail when another announcement came on.

"Is this thing on? Hello? Hello?" A voice spoke,and I looked down at the Pip-Boy

"It's on" Kent’s voice spoke up,there was a knocking on door,and in distance you could hear Kent speak up, "We're recording in here."There was a silence for a moment before Kent came back "Great. Great! The Silver Shroud's dispatched justice already. Miss Selmy has been avenged!"He announced,and Hancock smiled to me as we made our way down the steps of the old subway station,

"Shit,The Shroud offed Wayne? Wait... So this guy's actually for real?"The other voice spoke "You better believe it! The Silver Shroud's bringing justice to Goodneighbor. You bad guys better look out." There was a slight pause “Uh,Right”The man muttered, “Jerry. Go on. Tell the listeners about what we were talking about.”Kent spoke as we walked into the VIP area,

“Right. So AJ, you know the chem dealer by Bobbi's? He's doing good for himself. Says he's got a whole new market. Kids. Even with his garbage chems he's just raking in the caps." I furrowed my brows slightly as we sat,sipping from our glasses"You hear that? Sounds like the Silver Shroud has another bad guy to deal with."Kent beamed,and I nodded to myself as I checked my ammo,honestly the Sub was a bit much,too automatic,I think I should save it for bigger jobs.

“Can you hold this?”I asked as I listened to the radio,Hancock nodded as he put it over his shoulder to holster it.  
"Uh... Why? This Shroud guy, he gonna muscle in on the chem trade now?"Jerry spoke,I glared slightly into the ground,what is he a moron? "No, The Shroud is going to do something about it. AJ's selling to kids,his chems have k-killed people."Jerry paused "And..? I don't get it" Idiot. "We can't let AJ kill kids..."Kent muttered "Whatever"Jerry said,was this guy serious?

It was easy to drop this ‘AJ’ I was a bit angry knowing their were people like this Jerry dude, this world did need someone,suppose that was me now..I sighed to myself, Of course there's something wrong with selling drugs to kids..I would never get used to the way of this new world,all the morals were so different nowadays,selling drugs to kids,the way people treated Ghouls and Synth,I’ve been hated for being a ‘Synth-Sympathizer’,and called more obscene things when I was seen with Hancock,‘Ghoul-fucker’, ‘Ghoul-whore’,and ‘Circuit-Slut’.

I didn’t care what anyone thought,or said. Ghoul,Synth,human,Super Mutant-Whatever. I cared about them both.

I was pulled out of my thoughts as the Shroud radio was cut off while I was laying in the bed of a room in the State House,it was down stairs,just under Hancock’s office, all the old display cases had been cleared out to make room. It was simple,just an old bed,chest for supplies,and an end table besides my bed,which my Pip-boy was laying on,I turned to it ask Kent spoke up once the broadcast halted

“And now a special update. The villainous assassin Kendra was recently spotted at the Third Rail. The same Kendra who bombed Little Joe's shack and killed four innocent drifters. If you want to see the Silver Shroud in action, stay near Whitechapel Charlie.The Shroud's sure to interrogate him to find the evil-doer's whereabouts.”

What..I don’t want people staring at me while I work,I’ve always hated having attention drawn to me..Then again,I’m dressed as a comic book character,what else is gonna happen… So,I headed down to the Third Rail,and to Charlie. People made comments about me,some joking,others admired me,and the rest just observed, I sat at the bar,leaning in to speak to Charlie,

"Hiya,Charlie."Hancock greeted as the bot whirred over to us "Mayor,what will you two be drinking?" I leaned back slightly "We came for answers, not alcohol today,Charlie,can you tell me about a woman named Kendra?" I asked,and he looked to me "And who are you supposed to be? The Shroud, then? More like a nutter."He commented,and I looked over to Hancock "Kendra is not one to be trifled with. People associated with her have a habit of being found face down in a ditch. If you're set on meeting her, for a fee it can be arranged."I sighed,I don't want to waste all my caps on this guy..

"Can you spare a few details on her, at least? On the house?"I asked with a slight smile "Kendra is not one to be trifled with. People associated with her have a habit of being found face down in a ditch.If you're set on meeting her,She's got a flat outside the 'Neighborhood."I look to Hancock "You know the apartments he's talking about?"I asked,and he nodded "Thanks Charlie"I said,leaving around 50 caps even though he never told me to pay up,Charlie is nicer to you when you pay him.

It was easy to find Kendra,she had people with her,but it was nothing we couldn’t handle,we were in and out in about an hour. When did it become so easy to kill people...Sure they deserved it,but it still affected me to kill people as often as I have to,it was like the whole world was at war with everyone around them,never knowing if you can trust the person or not,constantly looking over your shoulder. It was exhausting. I’m glad I have Hancock by my side,without him,I’d of been dead long ago,but luckily for me,a lot of people were friendlies with the ‘Zombie-King’. I chuckled to myself thinking back on that ‘Sexy,King of the Zombies’ comment,Hancock was somethin’.

I chuckled slightly to myself as Hancock and I made our way down the road back to Goodneighbor till we heard something when Hancock stopped as we were walking,and I turned to him “What’s wrong?”He shook his head “We should take a break,need to have a talk with you.”I nod slightly “Okay,what is it?”

He sat on a nearby bench,and I followed suit "Look-Playing dress up is fun and all, but you've walked into something a whole lot bigger.” He stared as he pulled out a cigarette “Those low-lives we've been taking out for Kenny-boy... they all belong to the same asshole,”He paused to take a drag from it,and let out the smoke “And that asshole's going to want some good old-fashioned revenge. You dig?"He said as he looked over at me with the cigarette between his lips,and I let out slight sigh, "Thanks for the warning,but I know what I'm getting myself into Hancock,Can't just take a bunch of low lives out and expect that don't belong somewhere,people are gonna be pissed off,I can handle it."He let out a slight sigh,smoke crawling from his lips as he did so, "I know that,I just want you to get a feel of the guy first.Hear me out?" I nodded slightly,

"His name's Sinjin. He's taken two big raider outfits and made them..Scary..Small fish now, but if left alone..." "That doesn't scare me." I said with confidence,he let out another smokey sigh,and put the cigarette out,grinding his foot over the thing as he leaned forward slightly before leaning on his side to look at me,and I followed suit "That's because you don't know any better who's after you,Sunshine-Listen.I know you’re stubborn,”

“I am not”I muttered,and he chuckled slightly “So..If you really wanna keep this up... I happen to know where some of his other boys are.”He sighs,and I looked him in the eyes reassuringly as I nodded for him to go on, “There’s Smiling Kate who operates outside of Bunker Hill,and then Northy's got a pad over at Prospect Hill."He informed me,in a hesitant manner,but he still did,and I was grateful,

I’m not some helpless damsel in distress,I can hold my own, I hated everyone around me treating me like I was a child,like if I was out of their sight for even a moment, I would die. I could do this,and I knew it. Hancock was one of the only people who,while he was concerned,treated me as an equal,and was going to let me carry this out, “Alright,we’ll head there then.” I said as I hopped up,and he nodded,following suit to lead the way.

The two gang we took down were actually rather difficult,but eventually we got them,picking them off during the night when they thought we’d fled,leaving a calling card behind for every body dropped. In the end,Hancock made a comment that I always loved “Handled yourself pretty well,Sister” He always praised my progress,would correct any mistakes I made,and gave me tons of advice through his side comments,which helped more than he probably knows.

Hancock and I decided that with as late as it was,we should rest at Bunker Hill,friendly types,seemed to like Hancock fine,better than him having to wear something to hide his face anytime we had to stop into Diamond City,I always hated seeing him have to hide.We were pointed to the sort of hotel were a man named Joe Savoldi ran the place with his son Tony. When we walked up Hancock humed “Nice place you got here”He commented, “Yeah,and we aim to keep it that way”Hancock tilted his head slightly “What’s that supposed to mean?”He asked defensively, “It means,Mayor Hancock,that your reputation precedes you..and we don’t want any trouble”Hancock gave a lazy smirk as he looked at him.

“Formal title,and everything. Oh,I like you,bring me something strong”He smiled “And charge it to that one there”I looked at him with a scoff “You wish,Hancock”The man looked at me as Hancock paid up “Talkin’ like that to the Mayor of Goodneighbor,and he listened,huh...Think you could talk some sense into my numbskull son?”He commented,and I looked over as a man in about his late 20’s,early 30’s sighed at this.

“Getting involved with the Railroad is just trouble”He said to the boy,must be Tony “Hey,hey,this is none of my business,though..”I started,and looked over at Tony “I do think we should help people,synth or otherwise”I shrugged,and Tony gave me a knowing look before giving a slight,smug smile to his father

“See,Dad. This is a good thing I’m doin” Joe scoffed “We have a good life here,and you’d throw that all away.”Tony sighed “All I do here is help rusty old caravan hands,”He looked over “No offense,”I shrugged it off “Go blind off rotgut. At least the Railroad is fighting the Institute,and why not save synths?”Joe sighed in disapproval “Might as well go off and join the ‘Deathclaw Preservation Society’”

That can’t be real...I looked to Hancock and he gave a slight chuckle,nodding as if reading my mind. That’s crazy… PETA made since in my time,but Deathclaws..? Joe sighed before looking over at me “But where are my manners,if you want a drink,talk to me. Need a bed,well you talk to numbskull here.” Ah,I’ve decided:I hate Joe.

I nodded without a word,and stepped to Tony who gave a polite smile “We’ve got one room left,”He looked between us “Mind sharing a bed?”He chuckled,and I looked up at him,before I could speak Hancock chimed in “I don’t mind the ground,used to blackin’ out in odd places anyways”Hancock chuckled,but it bothered me,I didn’t want him to sleep on the bed like..some animal. “It’s the first room at the top of the steps”Tony said as he handed Hancock the key once we paid,and we made our way up them,the room was small,pretty much only room for the mattress on the ground,and the footlocker they left out for our stuff.

Hancock hummed as he stretched “Cozy”He spoke sarcastically as he took off his hat,revealing the short locks of his messy waves of blond pulled into a ponytail,sitting on the ground with a relieved groan,leaning against the wall. I stood stiffly in the doorway,and he looked up at me,

“You alright,Sunshine?”I felt so guilty my words just blurted out, “Sleep with me”Hancock blinked in confusion before chuckling “Well,aren’t we forward”I blushed when I realized what he meant, “N-No,I just mean...I don’t want you sleeping on the ground..Makes me feel guilty,so..sleep with-Next to me”I said,and he looked up at me,he looked smug,but I could tell he was very hesitant. I took off my coat and laid in on the ground,kneeling on the bed,

“Sunshine..I don’t think you want to”He commented,and I shook my head slightly “Stop,I don’t mind,come on..It’s gotta be more comfortable than the ground,you’re not some pet,you’re a person,and you deserve a bed..”I told him,and he gave a faint something “So stubborn..”He spoke as he stood. I looked up at him and nodded as I pulled my button up off,leaving me in a plain grey t-shirt,and a pair of high waisted black capri pants,only noticeable that they had been cropped at the bottom when I took off my boots. Hancock slipped his coat off,and vest,leaving him in his loose white shirt,tied lazily at the top,exposing the scared muscle. He watched me,as if ready for me to change my mind,and lowered down when I didn’t voice any protest,

“I really don’t mind,Ellie”He used my name,he never did that..I simply scooted over,and looked at him expectantly,he sighed and gave a nod before sitting beside me,it was a small mattress,so we’d be close, but I had gotten pretty small in the past months,with all the traveling,and lack of food supply,I’d not only lost my baby weight,but at least 30 pounds of my own weight,I was likely around 120 now,Hancock was bigger in comparison,he was muscular,but he was rather slim for the same reasons as anyone else. We were close,but we fit,I couldn’t tell if it’d be more awkward to turn away from him,or face him. Luckily I was small enough on my side that Hancock could lay on his back,taking up the perfect amount of room between us. It took me a bit,but with Hancock’s protective presents,I was able to drift off quicker than usual.

When I woke up that next morning,Hancock wasn’t beside me,in fact,he wasn’t in the room at all. I noticed his red frock coat draped over me,and smoothed my hand over it as I sat up,collecting it off of my body as I looked around,for a moment I worried he’d left,but all of his stuff was here,the Mayor would never leave his coat behind. I stretched,letting out a lazy yawn before standing,folding Hancock’s coat as I picked up my own,it was getting cold,close to December now, and it was a good thing I had the Shroud's clothes, they were rather warm, but if Kent keeps the costume, I'd have to get more clothes to keep me warm, if I could.

Hancock walked into the room as I tied my boots,and I glanced over at him,he was holding a plate and water bottle “Morning”I smiled faintly “Mornin’ Sunshine,Ya’ hungry?”He asked and I nodded “Starving”I chuckled,and he nodded,sitting beside me with the plate,he had what appeared to be two large crab cakes, and some noodles set in the center,he handed me the bowl of noodles,and I thanked him “What are those?”I asked as he ate one of them,and he glanced over “Try for yourself”He said,gesturing to the other,and I looked at him suspiciously,

“Why won’t you tell me what it is first..?”I asked,and he chuckled “Because then you might not eat it,and you need to eat”I held up my noodles “I’ve got these,you need to eat,you hardly do”I commented as I took a bite of noodles “Most people don’t,Sister”he chuckled,and I shrugged “Still,you need to”He smiled slightly “Just one bite,I don’t mind,we’ve already slept together after all”He joked,and I gave him a light shove “I will if you promise not to make that joke again”He chuckled,giving me that lazy smile “Ah,I never make promises I can’t keep,Sunshine”I gave him a look before he held up the crab-cake type..thing.

“Fine,One bite”I said as I took it,and bit into it cautiously while he chuckled.  
It was good,really good;Better than it looked,I hummed “I'm afraid to ask, it's so good” Hancock chuckled “Then have it” He said “No, you need to eat too” I told him, and he looked to my noodles, taking them “You've eaten about half, so we'll split it”I looked at him and I nodded, satisfied as he ate the noodles while I finished the rest of my food.

“It's a Mirelurk cake, by the way”I looked at him, Mirelurk… Of course, well… He's right, I wouldn't have eaten it had I known. I looked down as I set the plate by the bed, and felt his coat beside me, and I picked it up “Oh, here's your coat, thanks for letting me use it by the way”I said, he stood up to put the coat on “No problem, I noticed you were getting cold”he shrugged, I stood with him and we got ready to leave, and head back to Goodneighbor.

I was tuned to the Silver Shroud's radio, Hancock didn't seem to mind when I listened to the station. Partly it was for the announcements,but also because it reminded me of late nights with Nate, trying to get Shaun to sleep, I always joked that Nate's show was so lame, it put our baby to sleep.

However, it wasn't the Shroud speaking to villains as we make our way down the road, no, it was Kent

“-No, it wasn't Bobbi No-Nose who offed AJ and his goons,It was the Silver Shroud! See his calling card if you don't believe me..Oh! In case you missed it, Kendra's reign of terror is over!She won't be... Wh-What? Oh god, what's happening?" I furrowed my brows as I listed

"On your knees,dirtbag!" A woman's voice commanded "Wh-What are you doing? Wh... errg..." Kent let out a pained groan as a male voice some this time, "Sinjin, all clear" Sinjin..shit. There was a short pause with some shuffling,"This is the Shroud's headquarters? So you must be the Silver Shroud's little friend." Sinjin spoke, I looked to Hancock who looked worried as we picked up the pace,Kent made a muffled "yes" sound while what was likely a gun was is in his mouth,Sinjin’s voice spoke as we barged into Goodneighbor

"If you want to see your friend alive, Shroud, meet me at Milton General Hospital." I reloaded my gun as we jogged, "Don't do it, Shroud! It's a trap! Save yourself!" A gunshot rang out in the broadcast, and I broke into a sprint, not stopping to think about the fact that there was no actual shot in the town "Oww, oww, oww! Oh my god, do it, Shroud. Do it. My knee! Ahh!”Kent cried in pain as I kicked the door in, looking around the empty room, Kent's chair knocked over a with blood around it,the sight made ice ripple through my body as I was filled with dread,

"Tick tock, Shroud..Don't keep me waiting. We got business that needs finishing,"

I was too late, he was gone…

Irma's voice broke my trance as she ran up to us “Oh! It's just you sugar, Oh,I told Kent all that hero stuff was going to get you both killed! They... ” I looked to Irma, and rubbed her arm soothingly "Hey,Hey,It's okay..I..I'm here now,Irma.”She let out a sigh“When they took him they... they left you a message. Just listen to Kent's radio station. It keeps playing it over and over again."

“I know..I..I heard it on my way over”I muttered“Eleanor,Please. If you can do anything. You have to save Kent.”I nodded “Don't worry,I’m going to save him-No matter what. I promise you"

Sinjin had a lot of guys, through it all, the anger and fear for Kent allowed us to get through it, slowly, but we made it. We we're currently on the elevator down to where Sinjin must be. I could feel fear shaking through me, but I had to save Kent, no matter what. Hancock looked over at me as we were lowered down. He slipped his flag from around his hips, handing it to me, I looked down at it as he held it out,“For good luck”I looked up at him, not bothering to protest, I needed something to make me feel better..I tied the flag around my own hips under my coat as the elevator stopped.

“I’ll say it again,Hold assholes,Anyone turns heel,I’m coming for you,and your family.”the large Ghoul announced before looking to be “And you,Shroud. You take another step closer,and we get to see what the inside of Kent’s head looks like.” I felt my heart shaking, and gripped onto part of the loose flag“Don’t be rash,Sinjin.”he chuckled,

“Ya’ know,Some of these losers think you’re some kind of legend..Like you walked straight out of a comic book,but you and I know,you’re human,and weak. You came here,and for what? Your sidekick?” I glared slightly “Friendship doesn’t make you weak” He laughed “You’re gonna get yourself killed trying to save your friend here,and you’re gonna tell me that’s not a weakness?”I glared at him, but before I could speak, he continued “So,what’s gonna happen is this. I’m going to kill Kent,then we’re gonna shoot the hell outta ya. There’s not gonna be anything left but paste.” No,no,no. I won’t let Kent die.

“You know what would really get to Kent?” I smiled “Killing his friend, his hero. Right in front of him.”Sinjin laughed “You really are stupid..Tell you what,I’ll make you a deal,Shroud.”He smirked,and I glared at him slightly,I didn’t like the look he was giving me. “I’m listening..”I muttered, 

“I won’t kill Kent,I’ll let him go,and forget about all my men you cost me,if you pay the price”Of course,should have known,“Fine,how much do you want?”I asked,ready to fork over everything on me,and I could see Hancock look at me in my peripheral, Sinjin’s smirk grew

“Oh,no,no,Shroud. I don’t want your caps,I want something much more than that.”He grinned wickedly as he looked at me,I hated that look. “What…?” Sinjin licked his lips slightly,“I heard you’re a Vaultie, aye, Shroud?”I glared at him “What of it.” He grinned, “Well,You’ve got a pre-war body that was on ice all that time that’s just waiting to get all..Warmed up”He purred,and my eyes widened slightly

“Are...Are you saying..you’ll let Kent go...so long as I sleep with you”I asked,and the Ghoul’s grin widened “Now,you’re gettin’ it,smart girl.” I looked at Kent’s terrified eyes,and nodded slightly “Yeah,alright..But you let Kent and Hancock go first”I told him,and he shrugged “Deal.”

Hancock stepped forward “What? No way,Sunshine,you ain’t doin this!” I looked down, “Hancock,please...”I turn to him,and he shook his head “No,No way.”I looked at him with pleading eyes “I promised..I promised Irma that I would bring Kent back.No matter what.”He just shook his head again,and I stopped him before he could protest “I meant it.No.Matter.What.”

I turned away from him,and back to the large Ghoul with a slight sigh, “You..You’ve got a deal,Sinjin”I told him,and he laughed again, “Great.Take him to the mayor,and bring her to me.”He told a woman beside him,and Kent was led to us, “Shroud..I...”He started,but I shook my head before he could say anything

“I’ll be fine,Kent..”I told him as I walked forward but I felt a rough hand grab my arm in a gentle manner,“Sunshine..I can’t let you do this”Hancock spoke “Well,You’re going to,end of story”I told him,turning to look him in the eyes.  
“Get Kent back home,now,Hancock.”


	4. How to Get into the Institute 101

“Good to see you alive and well,Kent” I spoke as I walked into the Memory Den,Kent and Hancock both turned to me,standing as I approached, “Shroud,I-I’ve never been so happy to see someone in my life..Are..Are you alright?”I nodded“I’m fine,Everything's fine-What about you? You were hurt when I got there” I said,and Kent nodded “I was t-tortured. Almost died.I thought I was done for, for sure.But-But it's nothing compared to what you had to-” “Kent.Drop it,I'm fine.” 

“Well,Hey, who hasn't been tortured from time-to-time? The price of throwing down with the Man is always a few scars.” Hancock chimed in,jokingly,but I could see he was worried about me, “I'm just glad I got there in time."I commented, "You and me both, Shroud. But I don't know I...just give up. On all of it. Crime-fighting just isn't what I thought it'd be."Kent sighed,and I shook my head "If you just quit then the bad guys have already won." I told him,and he looked up at me and sighed "You... You're right. But..I just...thanks for saving me and...risking all that you did.... But I'm just done,I don’t want you to ever..anyone to ever get hurt like that again..”He said,and I looked at him with gentle eyes as I placed a hand on his shoulder, “With all we've accomplished, would you have done anything different, Kent?”I asked,and he looked back up at me,silent for a moment

“..No. Well, maybe I would've locked the door,but you..you still go-”I shook my head “I wouldn’t change a thing,I still would have saved all those people,and I will continue taking care of the bad guys”I told him as I looked into his bright,bloodshot eyes,Hancock approached us,“Pick yourself up. Goodneighbor’s just a bit safer thanks to the two of you.”He assured him “He's right,Kent..”I started with a gentle smile,“What would the Shroud be without his faithful friend Rhett Rhinehart?”He looked up at me,he teared up,but wiped them away before they could fall,"That..that really means a lot to me..Things didn't always go the way I pictured... but thanks, Shroud, for everything,for saving my life.” I smiled “Death will come to all evildoers, and I am its Shroud”I felt a little silly as I spoke in my best Silver Shroud voice,but Kent seemed to really appreciate it.

Without a word,Hancock lead us to the Third Rail,he may not have said anything,but the way he behaved did,he would look at the bruises,obviously noticing that I was wearing nothing but my t-shirt and a pair of baggy pants tightened around my hips,the pants were Sinjin’s,he’d torn mine,and since he didn’t need his anymore,I took them for myself. Hancock spent more time focused on the cuts and bruises though,I knew there were a lot along my arm that he could see,some on my neck,my left cheek,right shoulder,and both my wrists,I had a split lip,and some scratches on my arms as well,but he couldn’t see the worst of it all.

"So down goes the big bad Sinjin,huh?" Hancock finally spoke as we sat in the VIP room and I nodded,"Yup,For good"I answered simply,and he looked at me as I drank from my glass, "You sure you're okay,Sunshine?"I gave a slight sigh, "I already told you:I'm fine,Hancock. He was too distracted and it made him easy to kill,we took all the other men out,so I only had to fight off a few. I'm fine,barely a scratch on me all things considered"But we both knew that was a lie,there were plenty,and he knew it,even if he couldn’t see them,he knew.

"But they're still there.."He muttered,and I looked over at him "Hancock..I'm fine." I said firmly and he sighed “Alright..Since you don't wanna talk about Sinjin,mind if I talk about something else? I've been meaning to for a little while now" I nodded"Course,Is everything alright?"I asked,a little worried "Yeah, yeah. It ain't anything bad.”He assured,sighing slightly as he leaned back on the couch,resting his arm on the back of the worn piece of furniture as he looked down at his glass,

“Just..you taking care of Bobbi..I ain't proud of having to put you through that.That sort of dictatorial shit. Ain't usually my style."I shook my head slightly with a shrug "She tried to dupe us both. Dealing with her was the right move."I assured him,"True. But it doesn't change the fact that she's outta of the picture cause of us.Hell,that sorta bull's the whole reason I became mayor in the first place. This ass named Vic ran the town for I don't know how long before that." He spoke,and I looked over at him, "You seem awfully torn up over Bobbi,Was..Was there something between you?" I asked cautiously,an odd feeling bubbling in my chest,"Nah, nothing like that. I just hate seeing guys like me use their sway to do that kinda harm."Hancock sighed,

"That guy,Vic,he was scum. Used us drifters like his own personal piggy bank.He had this goon squad he'd use to keep people in line. Every so often he'd let them off the leash, go blow off some steam on the populace at large.Folks with homes could lock their doors, but us drifters, we got it bad. There was one night, some drifter said something to them.They cracked him open like a can of Cram on the pavement. And we all just stood there. Did nothing."I furrowed my brows slightly as I turned on the couch slightly to face him,

"You can't blame yourself. It sounds like you were outmatched. Probably would've killed you too."Hancock glanced over at me "You're right, but it was still spineless..I felt like less than nothing..All this shit with Sinjin just reminds me of it all..”I looked down slightly, “That powerless feeling while something.. awful happens... Afterwards, I got so high, I blacked out completely.When I finally came to, I was on the floor of the Old State House. Right in front of the clothes of John Hancock.”He smiled,and I looked down at his coat slightly,remembering for a moment that I had his flag tightly fisted in my hand the whole time I was in Milton Gen,it was safely tied around my waist now as my belt to keep the pants on,

“John Hancock, first American hoodlum and defender of the People.I might've still been high, but those clothes spoke to me, told me what I needed to do.”He smiled “I smashed the case, put them on, and started a new life. As Hancock. After that, I went clean for a bit, got organized, convinced KL-E-O to loan me some hardware.Got a crew of drifters together and headed out into the ruins, started training. Next time Vic's boys went on their tear, we'd be ready for 'em." I smiled at him as he spoke with passion "The fact that you're standing here and Vic isn't would suggest things went well?"He smirked as he turned to me,

"Oh yeah, So the night of, we all got loaded, let Vic's boys get good and hammered, and burst from the windows and rooftops where we'd been hiding."I chuckled slightly as I listened,he took a drink before letting out a pleased sigh,"They never even saw it coming. We didn't have to fire a shot. We didn't have to. But we sure fuckin' did. It was a massacre.Once we'd mopped up, we strolled right into Vic's quarters in the State House, wrapped a rope around his neck, and threw him off the balcony.”I smiled softly,and he turned back to me,

“And there I am, gun in hand, draped in Hancock's duds, looking at all the people of Goodneighbor assembled below.I had to say something. That first time I said 'em, they didn't even feel like my words:"Of the people, for the people!"Was my inaugural address. Became Mayor Hancock of Goodneighbor that day. And from then on, I vowed I'd never stand by and watch. Ever again." He said,and I smiled "And you're never going to have to. We'll take care of the Commonwealth together." I told him "Good.I just hope you get where I was coming from. I ain't out to bring harm to anyone that didn't earn it.”He told me,and I could see sadness spark in his eyes again as he scanned my features,noticing the bruises once again “Though, with everything we've been through.. I'm getting the distinct idea you got the same plan.”He spoke,he was rather close to me,but not uncomfortably close,he slowly tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear before he looked away “Well, you probably heard enough of me running my mouth for one day.”He chuckled as he hopped up “Wanna get moving?"

Dealing with Sinjin and his men had thrown us off for a while,but after that we got back on track with our quest to find Power Armor,It took us a few months but we managed to gather a mixed match collection of parts to put on the frame from the broken power armor I’d gotten when fighting the Deathclaw. The Glowing Sea was..awful,It was filled with Ferals,bugs,giant scorpions,and many Deathclaws, we’d managed to sneak passed them,fighting only when we had to do so. We finally reached a creator with the ‘Children of Atom’,a woman,who was their leader I suppose,lead me to where Virgil was,It was a bit hard to find him,but we eventually made it,walking into the cave I noticed two turrets,odd that they weren't set off the moment we walked in,but I wasn't complaining,I glanced back to Hancock in confusion at this,and turned back around to a gun in my face,I gasped slightly,

"Hold it! Take it nice and slow, no sudden moves…”A gruff voice spoke,and I slowly raised my hands into the air “I know you're from the Institute, so where's Kellogg? Huh? Trying to sneak up on me while you distract me? It's not going to work! I'm not stupid, I knew they'd send him after me!"I shook my head as I looked up at him,he was...a super mutant?

"Take it easy;Are you Virgil?”I asked calmly and he scoffed "You know damn well I am."I let out a nervous sigh “Look-Kellogg's dead,I swear”I told him,and he lowered his gun slightly,“Dead..?Dead-Don’t you lie to me!”and back in my face the gun went, “I'm not lying. I killed him myself.." I told him,he looked me up and down "Did you..Kellogg was ruthless.There's a reason the Institute used him to do their dirty work for so many years..I knew they'd send him after me; tried to prepare for it. But I still wasn't sure I'd make it..And so you. You killed him, eh?"I nodded "Yes,please,I need your help-I just want to talk"He lowered his gun,setting it on a nearby metallic end table,crossing his arms as he looked at me,

“Then you’d better talk fast”I nodded slightly,important questions first I guess,“Can you tell me anything about the Institute? I..I need to get in there.”He scoffed slightly “You want to get into the Institute?”He looked at me,to see if I was joking I suppose, “Are you insane-Never mind how nearly impossible it is,even if you were to succeed,it would almost certainly lead to your immediate death. What reason could you possibly have to be taking that kind of risk?” He asked and I looked up at him,

“The Institute took my baby..I just want to get him back”his features softened at this, “Oh..Oh no,I..had no idea-I’m sorry..Yeah,The Institute has taken people from the Commonwealth in the past;If your son is one of them..I can understand why you would want to get in there..I can help,but-If I help you, you're going to do something for me. Before I was forced to leave, I was working on a serum to reverse this mutation.It could return me to normal. You understand? So if you get in there, I need you to find it in my old office, and bring it to me.I think that's pretty reasonable, in exchange for helping you."I nodded eagerly"Absolutely,You help me,I'll gladly help you"I told him,and he glanced to Hancock for a moment,just now noticing him I guessed,and he nodded slightly as he looked to me,

“All right. Let's talk about what you need to do.First thing's first. You know how synths get in and out of the Institute?"He asked,and I gave a short nod"Yeah, they use some sort of teleporter”He hummed,  
"Well, well... Not many know about it. Pretty closely guarded secret. You've certainly done your homework.It's commonly referred to as the "Molecular Relay." I don't understand all the science behind it, but it works.De-materializes you in one place, re-materializes you in another. The Relay is the only way in and out of the Institute. You understand? The only one.That means you're going to have to use it.Now, have you ever seen an Institute Courser?" I shook my head slowly as I thought,

"I don't think so,no"he nodded "Not surprising. They don't come out often, and when they do, few see them.Coursers are Institute synths, designed for one purpose. They're hunters.Operations go wrong, a synth goes missing, and a Courser is dispatched,They're very good at what they do, and you're going to have to kill one." I nodded"Got it. Just point me in the right direction."He gave a slight,amused chuckle at this

"Well, I suppose your enthusiasm counts for something..Every Courser has special hardware that gives them a direct connection to the Relay in the Institute. It's embedded in a chip in their heads. You need that chip. But to get it, you'll have to find a Courser.Now I don't know exactly where you can find one. They haven't sent any after me, and sitting here waiting doesn't seem like a good plan.You're going to have to hunt one down. I can tell you where to start, and give you some help finding one, but you'll have to do the dirty work."I nodded slightly,this would be hard,building a teleporting device in the Common,but I needed to find my baby"Okay, let's get to work." He nodded as he wrote on a piece of paper,

"Right.The primary insertion point for Coursers is in the ruins of CIT, directly above the Institute. So you'll want to head there.Now, the Relay causes some pretty heavy interference all across the EM spectrum. You've got a radio on that Pip-Boy, right?”I looked down at it “Oh-Uh,yes,I do”I said as I clicked to the radio menu “Good,When you get to the ruins, tune it to the lower end of the band and listen in. You'll be able to hear the interference.Follow the signal, and it'll lead you to a Courser. Then you just have to... not get killed.Not gonna lie; the odds aren't in your favor here. But if you do make it..” He kept a firm grip on the plans while we both hold on“Remember what I said about the serum. I need it, badly..I... I really do hope you find what you're looking for.” He said,and I nodded,

“Thank you,and I promise if I do,I will get you that serum”I took the plans once he released them to me,"Thank you,Good luck finding a Courser chip..You're gonna need it..."he said,we went to walk out when he stopped me “Oh,by the way,this might help you,it’s a device from the Institute,you use it like any other grenade,but instead of blowing you up,this will take you wherever you want to go,but you’ve got to know where the place is for it to work,don’t try to go somewhere you don’t know. Also,it has enough for two trips”I nodded as I took the device,it looked like a pulse grenade,only it was more metallic in color,and instead of a yellow strip at the bottom,it was a bright blue. “Thanks Virgil”I said,might be best to save it,so I won’t use it just yet.

We headed out,and Hancock looked to me as we made our way out of the cave “Where to next,Sunshine?”I thought for a moment,maybe Mama Murphy could point us in a better direction for this “I wanna talk to Mama Murphy before I face this Courser,get some kind of heads up,or clue as to where this guy will be”Hancock nodded slightly,and I noticed him glance behind me as we stood outside the cave “What is it?”I asked,shifting to the side,I watched as a Deathclaw stood from a car it was using as a bed,it looked towards us,and I felt fear ice over me “Shit..”I muttered,backing up slightly,turning to the cave,it wasn’t far,just a short sprint to it..I grabbed Hancock’s wrist gently to move him around to my side “We gotta run”I muttered,and he nodded.

We ran towards the cave,but the moment we did so,the creature roared before sprinting towards us, “Fuck”I shouted,taking Hancock I shoved him forward towards the cave,I felt my feet lift of the ground as the creature picked me up,throwing me into the part of the large,rocky hill surrounding the cave,the impact ripped the air from my lungs causing me to wheeze,I heard Hancock shout after me as I looked up to the drooling creature,I panted slightly as some saliva spattered over my helmet when it screeched in my face,it ripped its claws through the metal of my armor,and I felt it pierce my skin,I let out a pained scream as I was lifted into the air,and thrown towards Virgil’s cave,but Hancock wasn’t there anymore.

I was ejected from the armor,and rolled onto my back,blood staining my now torn grey tee,I gripped my side tightly to try and stop the bleeding,but the gashes were too big.Whining in pain as the creature dragged the power armor out of the cave,I scrambled back as much as I could,the creature shook the armor before ripping it apart,and I thanked Atom I wasn’t in the thing..

The creature perked up as a loud explosion sounded in the distance,silent for a moment before another followed,the Deathclaw ran after the sound,my vision was blurry,but I saw Hancock’s red frock coat come into view as he hopped down the opposite side of the hill as the thing had run. “Hancock…”I muttered as he ran over “Jesus,Sunshine..We gotta get you outta here,now”He spoke,taking the grenade from my bag,he swung it over his shoulder,pulling me close he pressed down on the silver button that let out a faint click in response,and dropped it beside us,standing with me in bridal. A blinding flash surrounded us,I looked up as his lips moved,but I heard no sounds,he faded to black.

Hancock used the grenade to take us to Sanctuary,one of the settlers they’d gained was a doctor,patched me up,and refused to let me get out of bed,even though I needed to get going,and kill this Courser. Hancock wouldn’t let me go anywhere either,everyone prevented me from so much as getting out of bed unless I needed to use the restroom,or eat. I convinced Preston to let me talk to Mama Murphy,first he refused,saying her vision is what almost got me killed,but I’d of gone to the Glowing Sea anyways. He finally gave in because it was the only thing that was keeping me in bed.

Mama came into my room,the bedroom of myself and my husband..Late husband,need to get used to telling myself that..I was laying on the bed,and Mama came in,sitting in the chair I had beside the bed for her, “Hey kid,how ya doin?”She asked,and I shrugged “Good as I can be,would’ve been nice to of been warned bout the Deathclaw this time around”Mama chuckled softly “Sorry,Kid,I can’t control what the sight gives me”I nodded slightly “It’s alright,I know..Anyways”I started,pulling my bag towards me,pulling out some Jet,I made it a sort of goal to keep a couple on me for Mama,Making sure Hancock kept away from them,told him if he takes mine,I take his. Though, after my whole keeping Kellogg's brain in a Mentats tin, he's stayed away from them. “I’ve got something big I need to do,and was wondering if you could help me”I told her as I handed her the red inhaler,she gave a soft nod,taking a huff of the chem before closing her glossed eyes.

"I see you... the mighty hunter... only what you're hunting ain't an animal, or a man. It's something different. Maybe something more than human,”The Courser? “But... what's this? I see a man in a white outfit. Standing over your prey. And he says something... it's hard to make out... But I'm tryin' kid…”I looked in my bag,get out a pen and notepad from Pipers as she spoke “He says "Z2-47, initialize factory reset..Authorization code..Zeta-5-3-Kilo"... Then he falls..And he's still...That's all I can see..”I nodded,repeating out loud "Z2-47, initialize factory reset. Authorization code Zeta-5-3-Kilo..."She nodded "That's right"I nodded,No clue what the hell this means at all.  
“Thanks Mama Murphy” She nodded “No problem,Kid,I need to rest now”She said before walking out.  
“Z2-47...Zeta-5-3-Kilo…”I muttered to myself,Whatever it is,it must have some power over this Courser I’m after. “Come on,Sunshine,I get that she’s gotten stuff right,but what the hell does that gibberish even mean?”Hancock spoke as he walked in,sitting on the chair beside me “Fuck if I know,but it’s worth a shot to say,she said he fell over when some man said it,maybe it shuts him down”I commented as I went over the phrase in my head to memorize it. “Or maybe she’s just crazy and wants all our Jet”I shook my head slightly as I read “I don’t think that’s it..”

After about two weeks of bed rest,and constant care I was allowed to leave,I was irritated that I’d wasted so much time resting,I knew where the old C.I.T ruins were since I’d gone to school near by before the war. Mama gave me something as help in the fight,but nothing on the actual location,so I had to follow that beeping sound that Virgil told me to,it lead us to Greenetech Genetics,it wasn’t a long walk away,but the place was swarmed with Gunners,we picked them off slowly,and some we just snuck right passed,until finally we made our way to the top floor

"Time is running out" I heard a voice announced from above us,must have come from the final floor,we walked up the steps slowly,crouching down as we approached the door,"No please, wait. You can have the girl, just let me go."Someone begged,"There’s no use in hiding,I know you’re there.”The voice spoke,ignoring the man who was begging him,I stood,walking into the room“I'm afraid you can not have the synth,She is Institute property" I looked over at a woman behind a large window in the wall to a small room,"I'm not here for her" I told him "If you're not here for the synth, then you're here for me. What do you want?"He asked,walking towards me "I need what's in your head." I informed him.

"That you can not have"He said lowly, pulling out gun,when I saw it I blurted out "Z2-47, initialize factory reset. Authorization code Zeta-5-3-Kilo"He furrowed his brows as he lowered his gun slowly “How... did you…” He trailed off before going limp,I stared at him,and Hancock came up behind me, "Holy..It worked" He chuckled,and I gave a slight smile "Told you she wasn't just crazy.."I muttered

The Gunners ran off once they realized the Courser was down,didn’t even bother fighting me,but I don’t mind,not up for a fight,honestly. It would be an odd,and grizzly process to shoot the guy,and rip the Courser chip from his brain,luckily for me,Hancock volunteered.

“Hey..I-I know you’re not here for me..”The woman spoke up,and I walked toward her “But I can’t get out;Not on my own.I-I’m going to have to trust you to help me..”She said cautiously,and I gave a slight nod as I approached her “It’s okay,I won’t hurt you,just stay calm”She let out a nervous sigh as she nodded “I guess I don’t really have a choice,Do I?...The guard put the password in the toolbox under the stairs;Use it to gain access to the terminal,and open the door..”I nodded,retrieving the password,and moving to the terminal,when I got it unlocked I noticed that the terminal could also power on the elevator,I looked to her slightly,moving passed the option,I opened the door first,then powered up the elevator,stepping back,she came out

“Thank you..I don’t know what to say”She said with a nervous smile,and I shrugged “You don’t have to say anything-You’re welcome.”I smiled,and she returned with a genuine one, “My..Institute designation is K1-98,but I prefer Jenny…”I nodded “I’m Ellie”She nodded slightly before sighing “I knew the Institute was going to send a courser.I just..didn’t think he’d find me so fast. I think I would have lost him too.. but I got caught by these mercenaries.And all..this happened.Thanks again for all your help. I’m going to look for supplies before heading out,and before you ask:No,I don’t need anymore help.”I was a bit taken back by this,but let out a soft chuckle “The Commonwealth is unforgiving..I need to make it on my own,or I’m dead. Maybe we’ll meet again..under better circumstances. I...I hope we do.”I nodded with a smile,

“Me too,Jenny,stay safe”She gave a bright smile at her name, “You too”She said as she wandered off to look for supplies. I got onto the elevator, “I know you don’t want help,but if you ever need a place to stay,and you happen to find a place called Sanctuary Hills,always welcome to be your home”She smiled slightly “I’ve heard of it..Thank you,Ellie”I smiled as I pressed the button to the elevator “No problem,Jenny.”

After we got Z2’s chip,I figured the best place to take it would be the Memory Den,Amari had to know what to do with it,seemed promising,so we headed there straight away. I walked into Goodneighbor,and Hancock let in a deep breath as he smiled “Ah,Home sweet home”He commented,and I gave a slight chuckle,approaching Amari "Doc,I found Virgil. He has a way inside the Institute, but I need a code from a Courser Chip." Amari turned in surprise as I held out the chip for her,"A Courser Chip? You fought a Courser? Oh my god.”She muttered as she examined it,

“Unfortunately, I can't help you. I've worked on a lot of Synths, but never a Courser. I don't know what that chip does, let alone how to decode it..”She muttered “But my friends at the Railroad..They just might. Take it to them. See what they can find out."She told me as she lead us into the back room that looked like it was an old dressing room pre-war. "Thanks, Amari. How do I find them?" I asked,and she spoke in a slightly hushed tone "I can't contact them directly. They usually come to me, when they have a synth that's escaped the Institute and wants new memories, but I do have a code phrase. Some kind of clue if I ever needed to find them on my own. "Follow the Freedom Trail."” I nodded slightly "Alright. I'll..I’ll find them." I muttered,

I trailed behind Hancock as we were leaving Good Neighbor, “Freedom trail...Freedom trail..How am I supposed to know what that means?”I muttered as I look up to see a red brick strip,I hummed to myself,before the war this was a trail that lead to the historically significant locations,maybe that’s what this ‘Freedom Trail’ was,I nodded to myself and followed,it lead us to Swan’s Pond,quietly searching for a clue when I read what was painted under the plaque,pointed at the word ‘Trail’“7-A” I muttered,maybe it was a code? I got out my notepad,writing it down before I followed the rest of the brick path,it lead us all the way to the old North Church,so I stopped to look at what I had in my notepad:

7-'A' in Trail

4-'L' in Trail

2-'A' in Trail

6-'O' in Freedom

3-'I' in Trail'

5-'R' in Trail

8-'D' in Freedom

1-‘R’ in Freedom

Each letter had a number,maybe it was for an order,I rearranged the letters by number order,and read the note pad, “Railroad? Their password..is Railroad?Seriously..”I muttered to myself “Apparently”Hancock chuckled “Creative bunch,aren’t they?”I sighed slightly

“Let’s just head inside..”

When we got inside there were some Ferals we had to fight off,but other than that it was pretty smooth sailing,I found out that they had used an old stone carving as a dial,you could turn it,and press the center to say that was the letter you wanted,it was almost like a lock for a locker,or safe. Once I punched it ‘Railroad’ successfully,the wall shifted and pulled back into the other side as a door,leading to a dark,open area,what the hell? Where were these people...I stepped forward into the darkness as light flooded the room,it was blinding,I had to shield my eyes from it as a voice spoke

"Stop right there.”They started,and I lowered my arm as my eyes adjusted “You went through a lot of effort to arrange this meeting..But before we go any further, answer me this;Who the hell are you?" The woman speaking had short,curled ginger hair,a yellow cargo vet with a plaid scarf over a plaid grey t-shirt,a man beside her in an old blue patched up coat with an old cap,and on her right was another woman,she had dark hazelnut skin,and contrasting with her bright silver hair wearing an armored looking leather coat,and was holding a mini gun,I looked to the ginger woman,and spoke up

"I followed the Freedom Trail looking for the Railroad. I'm not your enemy."I assured her, "If that's true, you have nothing to fear.”She looked to Hancock before looking back “It's clear you're not with the Institute. But who told you how to contact us?" She asked,"I don't want to get anyone into trouble"I told her,and she shrugged"We'll find out, one way or another."I let out a faint sigh,I don’t want Amari getting into trouble because of me "I just wanted some help,I’m no threat to you.”I insisted, when a man walked in,he wore a plain outfit,with sunglasses and had slicked back black hair,he looked to the ginger woman,

“You're having a party,What gives with my invitation?”He joked,and she looked to him“Deacon,you're late."The man;Deacon looked over at me "Oh, I see you invited the Courser-killer. Nice." He commented,How did he…"You're saying this intruder actually killed a Courser? Single-handedly?”She looked to me,scoffing slightly “That'd give even Glory a run for her money.." She muttered,and Deacon scoffed "News flash, boss, this lady's is kind of a big deal. If you're done interrogating her, you might want to show this Courser-murdering machine a little courtesy. Just a thought."I looked over at him briefly before making eye contact with her, "I owe you an apology. Anyone who kills a Courser is good in my book.”I nodded slightly as she spoke

“I'm Desdemona and I'm the leader of the Railroad."I tilted my head slightly, “Desdemona?”I asked “That’s right”I thought back on what Amari had said about the Railroad helping escaped Synths start a new life,Synths,which everyone hated,and treated terribly for who they are,I gave a soft smile“Didn’t think anyone read Shakespeare anymore,the name suits you”I told her,and she gave a slight smile “Thank you. Forgive us if we’re sceptical,we can’t be too careful,a lot of people want us dead.”I shook my head slightly “I understand” Deacon looked to Desdemona as he stepped forward,

"Dez, we need to let her in. She's got an intact Courser Chip, for god's sake."He urged,and she glared over slightly,"That violates our security protocols." She said sternly,and he groaned "To hell with that. She killed a Courser,and not to mention our public enemy number one;Kellogg. There's no way she's working for the Institute."He insisted,and she looked to me "I suppose you're right..We're letting you into our headquarters. You're the first outsider ever to be given this privilege. We'll discuss the details about your chip inside."I nodded as I followed them inside,

“Thank you,I really do appreciate the help.”Desdemona nodded,leading me through the old underground room,which I’m pretty sure was just a tomb before."Tom, we got a Courser Chip."Desdemona said to the man as she approached,he looked up from his terminal in shock "Whoa? For real? Oh man, it's been ages." He chuckled,looking at it in my hand eagerly,like a kid who wanted candy,but didn’t ask,just...stared "Here you go” I said,handing it to him,and he smiled as he took it "All right, little Courser Chip. Let's have the circuit analyzer take a crack at you." He spoke to it before turning back to the terminal,muttering to himself as he worked on it

"Solve for N..Come on, show me that sweet base number. And we got it! We got the code! Hahaha. Let me load that onto a holotape for ya...We're in! Chip accessed. Just poke the analog connectors a little." I looked to Desdemona as she spoke "Good work, Tom."I smiled slightly, "Not sure our luck will hold up next time, Dez."He commented,looking to me "Ready to hand over the plans? This is the big one." He chuckled excitedly,and I pulled the paper Virgil gave me from my bag,handing it to him "Here you go. Let's see what we need" Tom looked it over,brows knitting together

"Whoa,Whoa.. Who wrote this? Some kid with a crayon? Shiiiiit, must've been a really big kid.." I look down at them slightly "Do you think you can decipher them?" I asked,and he examined them closer "I should..Oh man! Molecular transmission via encrypted RF waves?”He spoke,humming “Those Institute eggheads are crazy,and you can divert the signal using a heavily modified relay interception. Like a... pirate broadcast, you know? That's intense." He said looking at me,and I gave a confused look

“What does that all mean exactly? A lot is riding on this, Tom." Desdemona spoke up, "Yeah, yeah, all right, all right...The plans cover all the high-end egghead shit, but they're missing a ton of engineering details. Filling in the gaps will take time." He told us, "So..We could actually build this crazy thing?"I asked,and he nodded "Oh yeah,The science of this monstrosity is wow, but fortunate for us, the ingredients;Pretty common,but there's three specialty items that I can't just grab from our safe houses. You find those,and we'll knock down the gates of Hell"He explained,and I nodded

"So..What all would I need?"I asked "Well,For the Beam Emitter,we need some high tech sheet for that. A military-grade circuit board.Hit up any of the army bases in the Common,That should get you in business. The Relay Dish,That one's not bad. Old radio stations got those. You know, communication equipment.So radio stations, radar arrays, those types of places. As for the Control Console,Every last one of your atoms and molecules needs to be categorized then translated into a pure digital feed.That's a crazy mashed-up combo of biology and computer science. Genius, right?Hospitals got the equipment you need."I nodded slightly as I wrote everything down,"Thanks, Tom. I'll find them." He nodded,smiling slightly"I don't doubt it for a minute.After you get the get-tables, meet me at the build site."I looked over at him "Where exactly would that be?"

"Place called Mercer Safehouse it’s on an island so if you don't feel like a swim,you can pick"I nodded slightly "I don't think an island is the best idea unless we get a boat"He nodded"Well,there's a boat out there,while you get the supplies,I'll check it out,if I can’t do anything,you just lead the way to where we’re going-Here,I’ll mark Mercer’s on that Pip-Boy of yours"He said as he pulled my arm towards him,Where would I be without this thing? Lost and dead in a ditch that’s where,“Thanks,I’ll be sure to check it out”I told him.

We had to gather scrap and metal,things like that in order to get supplies we needed,Hancock and I were currently drifting around the Common to gather anything we could,but as we were walking down the road,I heard a voice call out for help,stopping in my tracks to listen,Hancock looked back at me confused “Sunshine,What’re yo-” “Shh.”I hushed as the voice called out again.

“I know you’re out there,please help me”A young voice called,and I walked towards it,Hancock following suit,I followed the voice all the way to a ruined building with nothing round,but still the voice called out,right in front of me,muffled. All that was there however,was...a fridge?

“Is someone in there?”I asked, “Yes,please help me,the door is jammed..I’ve been trapped in here for such a long time,please help me”The voice pleaded “I will,don’t worry”I assured,setting my bag down,I looked around and found an old lead pipe near by,picking it up I wedged it into the handle and pushed until the handle popped loose and I was able to pull the door open,stepping back as a small figure stood up,I scanned over him,it was a child,a ghoul child.

“Ugh. My legs are so stiff..It's really bright out,I haven't seen the sun in so long..”He spoke as he shielded his bright eyes,he didn’t have the obsidian eyes like Hancock,and Daisy,his were just his normal eyes side from being a bit bloodshot,but not like most Ghoul’s eyes were, “Hey,Hey-Just take it easy”I spoke as I kneeled down,and he looked down to my level, “Oh,Thank you,Ma’am! Thank you so much.” I nodded slightly smiling as he looked around “Everything's so different..I guess I was in there for a really long time...What do I do now?”I stood as I glanced around "I'll take you some place safe."He looked up at me with an exhausted tone, "I just want to go home. I wanna find my mom and dad." I looked up at Hancock briefly,the kids parents were likely gone,but..I couldn’t tell him that. Maybe his house would be a safe place to keep him until we found somewhere else for him,like Sanctuary.

"Okay..Then let's go find your home."I said,and he smiled "Thanks. I live in Quincy. Or at least I used to..But I don't know how to get there." I nodded “I know where that is,let’s go”I said

As we neared Quincy,Hancock and I noticed a large group of Gunner all round the old town,maybe it wasn’t safe,but Billy wouldn’t listen when I said it wasn’t a good idea to go,he wanted to go home,and I wasn’t going to leave him. Billy held my hand as we snuck down a hill,staying near the water until we came out near a factory and to the back of the neighborhood,out of sight from any Gunner,we were walking when Billy suddenly let go of my hand and ran forward,I whisper-shouted after him but realized where he was headed,and jogged to catch up

"Mom? Dad? Are you in there?"Billy called as he ran into the house,and we followed him in,and to my surprise..Someone responded, "Billy? Billy!"A scratchy,feminine voice called "Son? Is that really you?"a male voice called,when we walked in,there were two Ghouls hugging Billy,they must have been his parents, "It's me! It's really me.."Billy said as he cried,hugging them both tightly "Oh my god! We thought you were dead."His mother said as he nuzzled him,laughing happily, Billy pulled away slightly as he looked up"What happened to you? You're all burned up like me."He said,"We're ghouls, Billy."His father informed him "Your dad and I don't care what you look like. We still love you."His mother spoke as she hugged him again "I love you,too,mom.I've missed you guys. It's been so long!"Billy laughed softly through tears,I smiled at the family when a voice came from outside,

"You there, in the house!"A gruff male voice called followed by knocking, "I want those ghouls. Especially that kid.”The man called and I looked at the worried parents as they realized I was there, “You can give them up peaceful like, or die trying to save them." I looked to Billy’s mother as she whispered in fear “Oh my god,they want Billy!”Billy’s father shook his head “They won’t take us,Carol.At least not alive.Billy-Get upstairs”I looked to them both as he got his gun,

“Both of you hide.”I told them,they looked shocked before nodding and following Billy upstairs,I waited a moment for them to hide before heading to the door,closing in before Hancock could follow me out "The house is empty. Looks like they left in a hurry."I told the man who stood in the yard and he growled "God darn it. All right boys, we're heading south. Double time!"He said as they marched off,and I slipped into the house again as Billy,Carol,and the father,who’s name I hadn’t gotten yet,came down “Thank you for bringing back our little boy,and saving us from that man.”He spoke,

“Of course,I’m glad we found you.”I smiled,and he walked over to a cabinet,and got out a tin with ‘CAPS’ written across a strip of tape “Here,take this,it’s not much-but it’s all we have”I shook my head slightly as I gave it back “That’s not necessary,really,I’m just glad to help.”Carol smiled softly,

“Oh,thank you so much,We’ll never forget you.”I smiled and looked towards Hancock who smiled in return, “You know..If you’re up for the trip,I have a place much safer than this to take you all,it’s dangerous here,If you want to repay me,repay me in your safety. It will be dangerous,but I promise I will protect you with my life.”I assured them and Carol smiled

“We’d love to”

We were about half way to Sanctuary when it got dark,and we took camp,the Peabodys were inside of an old house,Hancock and I were resting outside as they slept,"Hey,before we get some shut eye,mind if we talk real quick?" He asked,and I nodded as I set the can of Pork n’ beans I was eating down "Course,what's up?" I asked,he was laying down beside me,warming up by the fire, he looked up at the stars as he spoke "I'll be honest, I'd had my doubts when we first hit the road."I looked to him

"Oh yeah? What kind of doubts?"I asked from my seat on the stairs,and Hancock scoffed slight laughter "You kiddin' me? You looked like you'd fallen out of the Vault that day..I thought I'd see you pickin' your teeth out of the gutter by sun up."I chuckled "Thanks"He chuckled softly "Look,It's just real rare these days, find someone who's not just willing to take things the way they're handed to them.Too many good folks not willing to get their hands dirty and too many assholes taking advantage of it,but what you just did for that family, and for our buddy Kent..risking your life for his, for that boy to get back home..Just shows how different you are from people nowadays…”He sighed slightly as he looked up at the stars

“I mean,Look at what happened to Diamond City..Before McDonough took over, it was a half-decent place to live."He told me,and I looked over with a quirked eyebrow "A little stricter than I usually go for, but not terrible. I thought he and I had a pretty happy childhood."He started "But then he decides he's gonna try and get elected with his anti-Ghoul crusade - "Mankind for McDonough."Before ya know it, you got families with kids lining up to drag folks they called "neighbor" out of their homes and throw 'em to the ruins."I let out a soft gasp at this, "How could they do something like that?"Hancock sighed "There'd always been a pretty big gulf between the folks living in the stands and folks down on the field..McDonough ran on it because he thought enough of those Upper Stands assholes would vote for him. Guess he was right.."He paused for a moment with a sigh before continuing the story,

“I remember storming into his office after the inauguration speech.He was just standing there, staring out the window, watching as the city turned on the Ghouls. He didn't even look at me, just said:"I did it, John. It's finally mine."”He glared up at the stars as he paused "Should have killed him right there, but I don't think it would have changed anything..Instead I pleaded with him, begged him to call it off...He said he couldn't.”He scoffed, “He had nothing against the Ghouls. He was just carrying out the will of the people. And he couldn't betray the voters..And then he smiled. That hideous, fucking mile-long smile. He never smiled like that when we were kids.. I didn't even recognize him."I looked at him,confused “You and McDonough knew each other as kids?”

“Oh yeah. Guy's my brother.”I looked at him in shock “Grew up together in a little shack on the waterfront.Guy was the standard big brother - entitled, punchy, liked to shove rotten tatoes down my shirt and slap my back…But I never thought he'd be capable of something like what they did to those Ghouls." I nodded as sadness and anger swam through my blood "He murdered those Ghouls."He looked over as he sat up "Him and that whole damned city."He commented as he pulled a leg up to prop his arm on as he spoke

"I still wasn't a Ghoul at this point, so I didn't have to leave, but I couldn't bring myself to stay in that cesspool after that..I'd been sneakin' off to Goodneighbor for years to get decent chems, so I knew the safe routes.I managed to track down a couple of the families, lead 'em there, but most couldn't get used to the Goodneighbor lifestyle.I brought them food for a couple of weeks, but after a while, they just disappeared..." He shook his head slightly,and I could see the sadness in his obsidian eyes turn back into anger,I shifted to the bottom of the sets to sit beside him,

"Folks in Diamond City signed their death warrants and all the good people were willing to just sit by and watch...I felt like I was the only one who saw how messed up things truly were, who couldn't just pretend things were fine.Still feel that way... or I did."He looked over "Until I met you…”I felt my cheeks flush slightly,smiling as I looked to the fire “Look..I know I run my mouth, but having someone who sees the world for what it is..And is willing to do something about it…”He paused for a moment as he looked into my eyes, “I feel damn lucky to have you as a friend."I looked up at him as my heart decided to speak before my brain,

"And that's what we are? Friends?"I asked softly,and he looked over,confused for a brief moment,but gave me that lazy grin of his "Well, now that you mention it, I have been having slightly more..Impure thoughts than usual..."I felt my cheeks heating up slightly "Maybe we'll get to... act on those. Heh."He grinned as my cheeks heated up more,I shifted to him slightly and he gently move a strand of my hair to tuck behind my ear,something he’d done quite often since my hair had gotten long,and wild. However,this time his touch lingered and he slowly trailed his hand to my chin,and gently pulled me in for a kiss;it was soft,curious,as well as a bit cautious on his end, as if he was ready for me to change my mind,we pulled away slowly,and he smiled softly“Come on,Love..Let's get this freakshow on the road”He chuckled as helped me up,“...After you."

It took us a good couple weeks to find the supplies we needed, gathering enough scrap metal to build this thing, Tom got that boat working and we were slowly loading all of the scrap into it along with other supplies,when we decided it was time to take the scrap over, we had to fight off a bunch of Mirelurks, it took us a while but we did it. We we're outside of a tiny metal shack with a work bench and some supplies to help weld our scrap together to build the machine.

I noticed a breaker switch,and tried flipping it,but nothing happened, I followed a wire onto the roof and watched it trail off towards an old boat,making my way to it to see if there was some kind of generator they were using,and sure enough I found another breaker switch,a little rusted given it's surroundings of water,but I managed to get it up,lights flickered on in the distance through the setting sun,and I smiled slightly before I felt the boat shift,and rumble,water smacked into the side of the boat in waves,I looked around confused,walking up the steps,I looked out and saw what looked to be a gigantic Mirelurk..Holy shit,I came out here alone,armed only with a pistol in case of ferals.. there was no way I could kill this thing. I was snapped out of my thoughts when the creature screeched at the sight of me,spitting an odd green fluid my way, I jumped back into the boat away from it,looking at the pool of liquid,it sizzled,breaking down the floor of the boat,eating away at the wood,and metal structure.

Holy fuck.

I planted myself against the wall beside the doorway,panting as I watched the acidic fluid dissolve the metal doorway,Jesus what is this thing,it's gonna kill me…I felt the boat shift violently,I peaked out of the doorway, “Sunshine!” I heard from outside,and jumped up as the ship shifted violently around me as the thing slammed into it while screeching,walking to the shore line towards Hancock as the others joined him,shooting at the thing. “Sunshine! You gotta get down,Now!”I looked over as the creature fought the Railroad agents,and stepped towards the deck while it was distracted,but the boat had shifted away from the make shift ramp,and it had fallen down.

“I can’t,I’ll have to swim out”I said,and Hancock turned to the creature,and back to me “There’s no time,just...Jump to me”I looked at him “I will not!”I shouted and he sighed in frustration “Now,Sunshine!”I looked to the creature,and back down,it wasn’t that far..and it was sand “I’ll catch you,now come on!”I looked down at him as he threw our bags down,holding his arms out,gesturing me to hurry up,I took a deep breath and launched myself off the ship,falling down towards him,he didn’t catch me perfectly,but managed to grab me by the waist before I twisted an ankle,or broke a leg in the fall,he fell backwards at the impact,and landed on his rear with me in his lap,we turned to the creature and he stood us both up before handing me my gun.

“Let’s do this.”

Mirelurk Queen. I thought I hated Mirelurks,but oh no,I hated Mirelurk Queens. It took nearly forever to kill the damn thing. I had some of the Minutemen set up here,started building places to sleep in,help build this ‘Molecular Relay’ and they all were happy to,I’d helped them out a lot despite not wanting to in the beginning. After everything with Nate and Shaun,I couldn’t stand to be in Sanctuary Hills,but they’d helped me,and I wanted to help them,besides,I enjoyed helping the people in the Commonwealth,everyone was just trying to get by,and I know having a purpose helped distract me from the evils of this world we lived in,with all of the settlements we’ve helped. It gave so many people a home,and a purpose.

I was standing beside Desdemona,it was dark out,and we’d worked all day on getting generators to power this damn thing before the bright blue light of the machine cut through the dark of the night,Dez and I stepped back as the machine whirred loudly as it was powered up,and she looked to Tom “Status Report”She called through the noise “We got activity, Dez. Not sure how long before it peaks.Booting up the scan sequence.”Tom looked to me “Just stand on the platform. I'll take it from there.”I nodded slightly as I walked towards it,stepping onto the platform,I looked down to Hancock as he walked up,untying his flag from his waist, “Kept you safe before”He muttered,and I smiled slightly as I took it “You gotta come back,Sunshine..You know how much that flag means to me”But I knew he didn’t mean the flag.. “I promise,I’ll come back,Hancock”

"So, stand still..Gotta lock in all those molecules of yours. Hopefully we won't miss any... There's only, you know, 60 trillion of them!”Tom called out “Alright, feeding our baby some juice..Let's see what she's got." He announced,and I ducked slightly as the Relay began sparking and parts flew off from air pressure "Oh, man. Don't worry. That's... all part of the plan." Tom chuckled nervously as he fiddled with things on the control board.  
Reassuring...

"Do whatever you can to gain their trust. Lie, tell them what they want to hear. Make up a cover story and sell it.." Dez announced to me,and I nodded "C'mon..C’mon. I think I got it! Establishing lock on the Institute signal." Dez looked back at Tom briefly then back to me "Just..get all the information you can! About synths. About the Institute's plans.Find a way to save them. Nobody else can.." I looked to Hancock as I gripped the end of his flag,

“Good luck,Sunshine..” Tom hit a button "Got it! No-"Tom’s voice was cut off,and Hancock’s face disappeared in a flash of blinding white,and I found myself in a large area of what looked to be the Institute’s Molecular Relay,their teleporter.Scanning my surroundings as I looked forward,I couldn’t believe it...

I was in.


	5. I Have No Creative Title...

"Good, we're all here. I think it's time we begin." Shaun spoke as he sat in his seat at the head of the table, "Excuse me sir, but is it wise to have this meeting given... present company?" Allie spoke, 

"I will address that issue, but there are other subjects that require our attention first.The level of unrest in the Commonwealth continues to rise, as we're all aware. Your report?" He spoke,and she hesitated for a moment,briefly glancing at me before nodding. It was obvious everyone didn’t trust me,they might as well speak directly about it instead of beating around the bush in a very obvious way.."All Institute facilities remain completely secure, with... the exception of one notable breach.."I zoned out as they spoke as I thought over things,I was supposed to be keeping cover,this could blow it,my whole explosion on the roof,Shaun could question my ‘loyalty’,he might make me leave...I zoned back in once I saw Shaun looking at me,

"Have you heard anything about Phase Three?" I was taken aback slightly before shaking my head "I don't think so,no"I said,and he gave a slight nod "It's all right. I wouldn't expect you to have. The project has been classified from the beginning.Power is, as I'm sure you've seen above ground, a very valuable commodity.Phase Three is, simply, the activation of a nuclear reactor that can provide enough power to the Institute now and forever." I nodded "I suppose in this world compromise is necessary."I muttered slightly "Quite right. For far too long we've been dependent on others, on our surroundings. That time is over.It will ensure not just our survival, but our prosperity." And I want to ensure the Institute goes down for everything they’ve done...

"Sounds like an important step" I spoke,and Shaun nodded with a humorless chuckle, "That's... well, that's an understatement."He started "The reactor is close to ready, but recent tests have determined we have a few tasks ahead of us. Thus, we come to Phase Three.And to how you will help."Shaun said when Ayo spoke up"Uh,Sir.." He muttered,and Shaun looked over "Yes, Doctor Ayo. Previously we would rely on Kellogg for above ground operations, yes? Well, he is gone.While I am not overly fond of putting my own mother in harm's way, she has proven more than capable of handling herself." After what happened at the roof,I didn’t think Shaun would be standing up for me at a time like this,"

Yes,but..." Ayo muttered as he glanced at me, "This is not a matter for debate.Now, there is one more subject that requires discussion." Shaun spoke as he looked to Clayton"I don't know that this is the time..." Shaun sighed, "Doctor Holdren, it is time. Please.As I'm sure several of you are already aware, I have been under Doctor Volkert's care for some time."He paused for a moment "I'm sorry, this is... difficult for me."He cleared his throat slightly "Our best efforts have failed..”I looked at him in confusion “Every experimental treatment we could devise has been unsuccessful."He paused briefly as he looked up at me "I'm... I'm sorry to say I am dying."

I am dying.  
Dying….Shaun..Was dying.

After all these years,after all this time I spent looking for him,only to find out..I was going to lose him all over again. The world disappeared from underneath me as spoke..After everything I’ve done,every single thing that has happened since I left that damned vault was to find my baby boy,only to find out he was a grown man who was dying,I lost Nate,and Shaun was ripped away from me,and now..Now,I was going to lose him too

I suddenly came to,listening to Shaun,memorizing his face,the way he moved,his voice “-the Institute cannot survive without leadership. The Directorate must continue to govern with the best interests of all in mind.To that end, I am naming my mother as my successor." I blinked slightly as sounds shock,and voicings of disapproval were spoken. I didn’t care..All I could think about was how much time I had left with him..He wasn’t a good man,but he was my baby boy...

I looked up with teary eyes as I realized the room was empty;Aside from Shaun,who stood over me,"I...I had no idea"I muttered "I know this is... well, it's a lot to take in at once."He paused "I'm sorry, mother. I hope it wasn't too presumptuous of me to put you in charge without even asking first...Everything, really. Our reactor is nearly ready, my physical condition is worsening, and I had intended to reveal my plans for your taking over." I shook my head slowly,"I don't know if I'm right for this."I commented "Well I clearly have faith in you.There's no question that some of the Directorate, and the Institute will need reassurances about your appointment.That's why I'd like you to take charge of this latest operation. Doctor Filmore can fill you in on the details.There are hard decisions ahead. For all of us, but for you especially. I know that you'll do the right thing."

"Of course..."

Allie and I met at the top of the Mass Fusion building,there were Brotherhood of Steel people everywhere,and I was smart in wearing one of the hazmat suits for this,aside from the fact that the Brotherhood wouldn’t know I was,it protected me from the insane amount of radiation in the room where the Beryllium Agitator was kept. I had convinced Shaun to let me bring Hancock with me,and while he didn’t want to help the Institute,he agreed to help me.

"I think that was enough excitement for... well, ever."She chuckled with a sigh "Thank you, really. Couldn't have managed it without you."She looked down slightly "I won't lie; I was a little nervous you wouldn't pull it off. Seems I needn't have worried.I'll make sure the Agitator gets where it needs to go."I nodded as we parted ways before she spoke up again "I understand Father is anxious to get you involved in something else. You'd better not keep him waiting."She said and I nodded,  
"Thank you,Allie"

Shaun had me go and retrieve a man named T. S. Wallace,I convinced him to join the Institute,which was best since I heard a man say if he didn’t cooperate,they would take him by force,and I didn’t want that for the man..Afterwards I made my way to Shaun’s quarters to talk with him,he was waiting,sitting on the couch,drinking from a glass of water when I came in "Ah, there you are."Shaun smiled "I cannot express how pleased I am.Our new guest is familiarizing himself with his surroundings, yet he's already pointed out several inefficiencies in our methods."he spoke,setting his water down "With his help, Phase Three will be ready in no time. And it's all thanks to you."I smiled slightly

"I'm proud to help the Institute. Here's hoping it all pays off."I gave a slight chuckle,God,I didn’t even recognize my own voice around my own child... "At this point, there is no doubt. It will succeed, and very shortly.There is one more part for you to play, and I think you might enjoy it."I tilted my head as he handed me a sheet of paper "It is time to announce our presence to the Commonwealth, to request they do not interfere with our plans. You should be the one to do it."I looked up a him,and nodded

"That's a good idea. Hopefully we can prevent violence and save some lives.”I commented,and he nodded slightly, "Yes, that is one goal..And if you are to be the new Director of the Institute, you should be the one to do it. We've prepared some remarks for you to record. Once you're finished, we'll broadcast them to the entire Commonwealth."I nodded as I looked at the paper with notes "Use the microphone here, and follow this script. It's quite simple. I'm sure you'll do fine, Mother."I nodded as I looked to the mic, "Right.."I muttered,I was going to become the official voice of the institute.. I needed a way to speak as the Institute while showing peace they didn't intend,everyone would panic otherwise..

"People of the Commonwealth..For years now, you have suspected that the Institute still exists, that we are among you. It’s true...but it is not the whole truth.We are here, and we are here to help. Our superior technology represents the best hope for the Commonwealth.Today, we activate our nuclear reactor, ensuring that we will persevere long after the world above ground has ceased to exist...Ensuring that mankind has a future.We have no desire to interfere in the unimportant details of your daily lives.We simply insist that you do not interfere with Institute operations. To do so would result in tragedy,for all of those envolved. You may rest easy.. Know that the future is in safe hands,and that mankind will thrive under our guidance."

I pressed the button to end the speech and looked to Shaun,"Well, that was... interesting."He started "Perhaps not what we'd originally intended, but it will certainly get your point across."I nodded "Thank you.." He nodded and stood, "Now it's time to make sure that everyone hears it,How would you feel about making a little trip to Diamond City?"I nodded a bit eagerly "I could use some fresh air." I spoke, "A quaint phrase, though I'm afraid the air there is anything but fresh."He chuckled slightly "The radio station in Diamond City is listened to by many in the Commonwealth.If we'd like the people to hear what we have to say, it's the best way to reach them.Before we... preempt their broadcast, we need to ensure it reaches the maximum range possible. I've been assured that the necessary parts are on-site. You'll just need to install them to boost the broadcasting power.Report back when you're done. We should be ready by then."

Travis was a friend of mine after I helped him get over his anxious nature,he was a wreck before,but now he was a confident man with the lovely Scarlett on his arm,so he didn’t mind that I fiddled with the radio to upload my broadcast. Before I went back to the Institute,I made my way to the Railroad HQ to talk with Dez,and check in with everyone. We discussed everything for a while as I gave them information before Dez let out a soft sigh, “Charmer,there’s something we should talk about,it’s important.”I nodded “Of course,Dez,what is it?”I asked,she nodded as she looked at me “You’ve proven you are trustworthy,and very useful..Now,What I'm about to tell you is the most closely guarded secret the Railroad has.”I nodded slightly

“You can trust me”I commented,and she nodded as she leaded against the wall, “It's time you learn about Patriot.” I nodded, "I like the name. Sounds encouraging." "There's a man, or woman - we're not sure - inside the Institute who helps synths escape to freedom.Dozens of synths owe them their lives. We don't know their name, we've never had a way to make contact. So we gave them the code name Patriot."I nodded,very encouraging "You have an in with the Institute,they trust you.We need you to make contact."I nodded speaking without hesitation, "What do I need to do?"I asked,and she got out a holotape,handing it to me

"Just plug this into any Institute terminal and wait for the reply,Tom's encrypted a message is for Patriot's eyes only. Once Patriot sees it, they'll contact you."I nodded "I can do it"I said as I placed the tape in my bag,I had a terminal in my living quarters Shaun had given me,I could use it when I got back. Dez gave me a slight smile "I'm positive you can, I believe in you."I smiled and looked at the time, "I should get going,Shaun is probably waiting for me"I said as I hoisted the bag back on and Dez nodded  
"Of course,thank you,Charmer"

"You know, mother, it's no secret that you worked with the Railroad in order to first reach the Institute."Shaun spoke,I looked up at him as I took a bite of what was in the food packets they had,it wasn't great,it looked like some kind of meatloaf but made of chicken somehow,I didn't mind,at least there weren't any rads.Shaun bringing up the Railroad out of the blue worries me.. "The depth of your involvement with them has been called into question, repeatedly. I'm sure you can guess by whom."He almost sounded concerned, "The question is: Where do you stand with them now? Do you count them amongst your allies?"I looked down slightly,setting my fork on my plate as I looked up at him "I can't lie...They are allies"Shaun sighed,

"Well, I appreciate your honesty...I won't ask for details. I'm sure I don't want to know."He said,and I looked down at my food as he spoke, "But these people, with their twisted ideology... They seek to undermine everything the Institute stands for. Surely you can see that.They're determined, and they won't stop. I'm sure they'd burn this whole place to the ground to free the synths."He sighed slightly, "I know. I've been dealing with them far longer than you have."I looked up at him slightly,

"Surely you can see that you can no longer work with them; that the time has come..You must put an end to them. For our sake. For our future."I looked up at him fully in shock "Shaun..You can't be serious,you...you want me to kill my friends? I...I can't do that.."Shaun gave me a stern look, "I'm afraid this is an order. The Railroad leadership needs to be eliminated."He declared as he stood,and I remained seated "Shaun..."Without looking at me he stood with his hands folded behind his back "I expect a full report when it's done.Mother."Before I could reply he walked away.

Shaun at least allowed me a two weeks to get prepared,saying that it would of course take time for me to prepare to take down a whole faction..Disregarding the fact that they were my friends. These two weeks allowed me the time I needed to find,and contact Patriot. I hadn’t been alone long enough to get to my terminal so I decided to offer my help around here,get Shaun to trust me so I wouldn’t constantly have eyes on me. Best bet was to get the person who hated me most to trust me,

“Morning Doctor Ayo” I spoke as I entered the SRB lab,and he looked up "Ah,yes. Hello-What do you want" Charming as always, "Just wanted to know if I could help you with anything" I offered,and he looked up,I had gained some trust with the Institute,so he caved.

"Well..The rate of escapes has been increasing lately, and I don't think it's just random chance.They could be getting help.I'm sure of it..I did some digging and discovered that the culprit is right here in the Institute.Someone in Robotics has been changing my work crew assignments, replacing synths I approved for surface duty with high flight risks..I'm convinced that someone is Alan Binet. He thinks that synths are people. He even lives with one. It's disturbing." I nodded as I just told him what he wants to hear, "There's got to be some way to prove it was him." I commented,

"I agree...Unfortunately, even if I had proof of Binet's involvement, I don't have the authority to do anything about it" I looked up at him, "Well..I do" He looked up,shocked,likely because of the fact when we first met,I voiced my opinions about Synth freedom,and now I was helping catch who was freeing said synths? But he saw the opportunity,and took it, "Yes...That's right..You're the director now. If you make the accusation, nobody will have the nerve to question it.." He said,and I nodded "I'll help find out who did it,Ayo" He nodded "Like I said,The roster assignments were definitely altered from the terminals in Robotics." I nodded "Got it" I said as I left to begin my research,lucky me getting just what I need,

All logs in the Robotics terminal show Binet.A,however one was deleted,I figured it must have been another from Alan,so I found the Binet residence,they weren’t home,most people were out working during the day,so I walked in,sitting down to access their terminal to read the entries.

“It just doesn't make any sense. I've run the diagnostics. Quadruple-checked the neural mappings. Done comparative analyses of taste buds. Tracked digestive patterns. Heck, I've even gone so far as to simply ASK several of them, and still, I'm no closer to answering the question:  
Why do Gen 3 synths like to eat Fancy Lads Snack Cakes?  
I mean, sure, they have the capacity to experience taste. Every Gen 3 possesses the synthetic equivalent of the requisite receptor cells. But why this? And why all of them?  
Good thing it's physically impossible for a Gen 3 to actually gain weight and succumb to obesity. Wouldn't that be quite the Achilles' Heel? Humanity's most impressive technological achievement - laid low by junk food.”

Aside from entries like this there were some about a woman named ‘Eve’ who I assumed was a synth by the way they talked about her,I remembered talking with a woman named Eve when I got here,she was Alan’s ‘personal synth’ and served as a mother figure to Liam,but insisted that Alan was not using her for sexual favors,which didn’t seem likely as it is due to the fact that Alan believed synths had souls,he wouldn’t use her in that way. Heading back to the SRB,the terminal entries eventually lead me to ‘maintenance terminal 6’,when I got there I saw the woman,Eve a the terminal,when I approached she turned sharply,pointing a gun at me,I froze in place,slowly raising my hands into the air slightly “Don’t come any closer!”She started as she stepped back slightly,

“Eve...Let’s just talk..Put the gun away”Eve looked at me with hesitation,slightly lowering her gun “I..I want to, but I can’t..You know too much.”She said,and raised the gun up again “If I let you go,they’ll find out everything”She declared,looking to the terminal slightly before looking back “And they’ll take him away…”She muttered,just above a whisper,but I heard her “It..Sounds like you’re protecting someone”I commented,and she sighed slightly “I..I know Liam isn’t really my son,but I’ve come to love him as if he were”She started, “He’s so smart and so kind-hearted. All he wants is for the synths to have a better life..to be free.”She shook her head slightly

“Eve..”I muttered but she cut me off “I’m sorry-You seem like a good person..but I can’t let you tell Justin about Liam.”She stated,her love,and her fear;it was genuine,this was a mother’s love in all its terrifying glory..How could people not see that synths were just as human as anyone else,because I know that if I were Eve,I’d do the same thing “Eve,I promise not to tell Justin,I’ll keep your secret”I told her,

“I’m sure you’ve heard things about me around here..I’m with the Railroad,and I..I’m only “helping” Justin so that I can help your son..Liam has helped so many Synths,I’m here to protect him.”I told her,and she looked at me,hesitating for a moment before lowering the gun “I...I believe you...I’m sorry”I shook my head slightly to dismiss it “I can see that you understand a parent’s desire to protect a child..”She said,and looked to the terminal slightly “I’m sorry I threatened you,I guess I just felt cornered,and panicked a little bit..”

“That’s alright,It's a basic human instinct when we feel threatened”I told her,and she gave me a look that I couldn’t place,maybe she appreciated the comment “I know I could’ve done the same if it were me.”I assured “I’m...I’m glad you’re someone we can trust” After our talk,Eve took her leave,and I headed up to meet Liam,or Patriot,when I walked in he was on the computer,and turned to me with a slight smile “I’m trying to learn chess,but the computer always beats me”He chuckled slightly, “I know you’re the one helping the synths escape,Liam..”He looked up at me before sighing,

“So,you figured it out..Nice work,nobody else down here could..I’m not surprised it took someone from the outside.”He sighed slightly, “At first..I just wanted to see if I could get away with it..It was a challenge,you know?”He started, “But..Then I realized the synths are really just like us,except without any freedom..I decided to help the ones that wanted to escape,so they could have a better life”I nodded “That’s what Eve told me,too”He looked up at this, “Eve? Eve knows?”I nodded “She threatened me when I found out,”I informed him “She’s been protecting you” He looked baffled,

“What...I didn't think she cared that much about us, not enough to hurt someone. I...I’m so sorry,Look, now that you know, you have a choice to make.. You could tell Justin, but I have a proposal for you.”He started,but I cut him off “Liam,I’m not going to tell Justin”He looked up “You..You aren’t”I shook my head “But,what did you have in mind?”I asked,and he nodded slightly, “We..We could frame Ayo”He offered, “Every since Dr.Zimmer left,He’s been out of control. Him and his Coursers have been pushing people around,and threatening them to get what he wants.”He informed me,

“When he came after my dad? That was the last straw..”He commented,and I nodded “If he’s as bad as you say,then he needs to go”I agreed,and he nodded “I know just what to do;Go to Justin’s quarters,and disable the security safeguards on his private terminal,I’ll remotely plant evidence on it that’ll make it look like he’s the one helping the Synths. Then it’s bye-bye Justin Ayo”He explained,and I nodded “Got it.”I told him as I wanted out of the room “Thank you again,Eleanor”I smiled as I looked back “No problem,kid”I said as I left “And,Just call me Ellie”I said as I left. Getting in and out of Justin’s was easy,nobody ever questioned what I did,and if they did,they never voiced it,my being ‘Father’s’ mother and all,no one even dared voice that to myself,or Shaun. After I was done,I headed back to the Binet’s

“I disabled the safeguards”I told him,and he smiled "Way ahead of you. I've already accessed the terminal and planted the evidence. Pretty good, huh?"I chuckled "You're a natural, kid."He chuckled in return "Yep. Maybe one day I'll even be head of the Robotics division."I nodded,I could see it,

“I guess there's only one thing left to do.”He started as he looked towards the door where Alan was speaking to a man “I'll tell my dad about how I think Justin Ayo's been secretly freeing the synths.”I looked to Alan as he spoke "I've got a motive for him, too. The way I see it, it's a play to make sure everyone depends on the SRB."I nodded "Sounds good"I commented, "Thanks again for your help. a lot of people will be happier with Justin Ayo out of the way, especially my dad."I nodded as I smiled,

“No problem,kid,but listen,there’s a reason I agreed to help Justin before,I came here looking for you,The Railroad sent me here to look for someone they call Patriot. That's you.”I informed him,and he looked at me,shocked "What? The Railroad? As in the Railroad?"He spoke,looking away slightly "And they gave me a code name, too?"He muttered before looking up at me as I stood beside his couch "I kept sending synths to the surface hoping someone would help them.I hoped the Railroad got to some of them, but I never knew for certain."I smiled slightly

"You've saved a lot of synths."I told him, "So much to take in. But, wait...With you in the picture, I have this idea. To rescue a lot of synths at once..But we'll need help,let's go to the West Atrium."He spoke as he stood,and I nodded as I followed,Liam led me to a man who was sweeping,glancing at me for a moment before he spoke "Sir. Do you require something?"Liam shook his head slightly "It's OK, Z1. She's a friend. She's with the Railroad."He assured him,Z1 didn't seem too convinced,but clearly trusted Liam,

"Meeting here is dangerous. And you bring a stranger..."He glanced up at me "I apologize ma'am,but I've never met another human willing to help... I... I thought only Mr. Binet cared. But your friends actually fight for us?"I nodded as I smiled reassuringly "That's what the Railroad does, Z1. She's from the surface"Liam commented,and Z1 nodded, “But, sir, we must make this quick."He spoke nervously as I kept his eyes on the broom he swept with "Right now, how many synths want to escape, Z1?"Liam asked "The ones I know for certain. Thirteen.”Liam looked a bit anxious

"That'll take forever. Let's free those thirteen all in one go."He said with more confidence "I would do anything for my people. But how do we get them to the teleporter?The old maintenance tunnels that lead there are always sealed by the SRB."Liam sighed slightly before looking to me,then back to Z1 "If I can find a way to open those doors, could you get your synths to the teleporter room?"Z1 nodded after a moment, "Yes.. We'll talk later. Someplace more secure."He said as he looked to me before he made his leave,

"Just a few high security doors, right?"Liam chuckled slightly "Controlled by cutting-edge SRB security tech.. Yeah. A head on hack is the sucker play. So we go at them sideways."He muttered before looking to me "You're willing to help, right? I can't do this alone."He muttered,and I nodded

"Of course,Liam"He smiled slightly,seeming less nervous at this “I’ve got to go back to my friends at the Railroad”I told him,and he nodded “Right,talk to me soon as you get back,we can plan everything”I nodded, “See you then,Patriot”I smiled,and he chuckled “Later”

"How did everything go,Charmer?"Dez asked as I came into HQ "I met Patriot. His name is Liam Binet."She smiled, "I knew you'd get the job done. We need every scrap of intel you picked up in there.Write up a full report on PAM's terminal. After you're done, we'll analyze it and figure out the next step. Get to it."I nodded,and made my way to P.A.M's,writing about Ayo's suspicions,Alan,Eve,and Liam,framing Ayo with Liam,and Justin Ayo being banished to the surface.After I wrote it all out,I got some sleep in the meantime.

"We've gone through your report. It was... extraordinary. So many pieces of the puzzle clicked into place."Dez commented "Our final analysis indicates the Institute is far more formidable than we ever feared or imagined.If we stage a mass breakout, Patriot's thirteen synths will undoubtedly be the last we ever save..Instead we use this one chance... to rescue all the synths. Every last one of them."

I rose my eyebrows "That's a bold plan."I commented "We can't waste this opportunity..The Institute will never let their slaves go without a fight."She sighed, "So the heart of our problem is manpower. Even if we call in all our agents, and we will, we won't be able to hold our own against the Institute for long..Talk with Z1-14, If the synths down there want freedom, they must fight and risk their lives to earn it.”I nodded "Z1 seems capable of that"Dez nodded slightly,

"We always thought Patriot was the savior of the synths..But it may be more accurate to say that Z1 is.As much as we owe Patriot, We can't be certain how committed he is..If he learns we're willing to kill to free synths he may not have the stomach for it. So get what you need from him and then cut him loose."I nodded in agreement "One last thing. If we have a chance in heck of doing anything down there our most important asset is you.."She said, "I don't want you to endamner synths, but anything else is fair game to maintain your cover..Good luck. We're all with you."I smiled,and nodded "I'll talk to Z1. Later,Dez"

"Z1,may I speak with you?"I asked as I walked over to him,and he looked over "Of course,ma'am"He said,following me to my quarters, "We must speak quickly. We cannot risk being discovered.I have made arrangements, I can get the thirteen we discussed into position."He looked over to me,"But... tell me, do you think Mr. Binet's plan will work?"I looked up at him slightly,thinking about Dez's plan "A better plan is to use this opportunity to rescue everyone,but synths will have to fight for it."Z1 nodded slowly, "And I thought Mr. Binet's plan was too ambitious..Of course, I'd fight for my freedom. And I know of a few others that might, as well."He looked away in thought "But enough to face all the guards? Perhaps... if we stand up openly to the scientists more of my people would join us."He muttered slightly

"Yes..Even if most don't join the fight, certainly there are many others who've been waiting their whole lives for this."He decided "But we should be prepared for some of the synths to fight against us."I nodded slightly, "You won't be alone. The Railroad will fight with you."I assured him "Together, we have a chance.."He muttered slightly,"I admire Mr. Binet a great deal but we can't tell him about this plan. It's his people we'll be fighting."I nodded in agreement, "I will talk to my friends. I’ll be here tomorrow. If I don't make our appointment, assume the worst."I nodded as I waved goodbye,laying down in bed I decided I would sleep the day off.

I woke to a knock at my door,and sat up "Good morning,Mother. I came to clean your room for you"Z1 spoke,and I nodded slightly.. ‘Mother’ a title I would never get used to... "Of course,come on in"I spoke and he pushed a cart of things to clean with in,and began to make my bed as he spoke in a whisper while I gathered my things as if ready for a mission,"I asked my friends if they'd take up arms for their freedom."He started as he removed my blanket,folding it on the ground neatly

"I was surprised at the number of volunteers.. Perhaps once the fighting begins many others will join us."He pulled the sheets off of my bed,folding them with the blanket,and removing my pillow cases as well "But we will fight and die very quickly unless we have weapons..A lot of them."I nodded as he began replacing my bedspread with a fresh one, "I have weapons I could give you."I whispered as I loaded my gun,as if to prove a point, "Excellent. Deposit anything you can spare in maintenance closet 3-B. But we need enough weapons to arm an entire rebellion."He spoke,and I nodded "We will do our part to help"He said as he moved to sweeping "We just lack the ingredients to do so.."He spoke as I packed stimpaks into my bag "What ingredients?"I inquired,

"Gunpowder, laser focusing crystals, and a couple other things."He informed me,and I nodded, "All munitions are tightly guarded by the SRB. Even if we managed to take some it would certainly be noticed..but,We've come up with a plan to get what we need."He started as he continued to sweep while I packed my bag, "The Institute's always expanding. Excavation just completed on one of the sublevels. The mining equipment has been packed into crates, and they haven't been moved yet. That equipment has everything we need.."He began to dust a shelf beside my bed as he spoke,"Thanks to Mr. Binet, the construction crew is populated solely by my friends. But they're under constant supervision.."He turned to me as he was wiping down the shelf

"How do you feel about killing some guards?"I looked over slightly as I put more supplies in my bag "I'll do it if it's necessary."He nodded as he re-placed a vased flower on the shelf "We could come up with no other way..After you eliminate the guards, we'll move the supplies and blow up the tunnels behind us.To the SRB it will be a tragic construction accident that killed many synths. Rare, but not unheard of,and then our "dead" friends can assemble the weapons we need."He said,and I nodded as I put my bag on "I've got it covered,I'll head down now" I told him,and he nodded as he made his way to clean the bathroom "Good luck,Ma'am"He said,and I nodded "Thank you,Z1"I spoke as I exited my room.

The guards were easy to take down,and I slowly began to buy,and gather different guns,and ammo,as well as some armor to take back to the closet Z1 told me about,it didn’t take very long before we had a good stock of supplies set out for everyone,Liam was in the dark about what exactly was going to happen,and I felt bad for the kid,so I decided to just key him in on it,so he didn't think we had turned on him,though in a way we might be,

"Liam,I know you're anxious,but this is a delicate operation. Are you OK if we have to use violence?"I asked,and he looked over "Good question..If we find ourselves in that position we pull the plug and wait for another opportunity."He stated "We can't risk anyone's life over this."I nodded slightly "Liam,you have to understand..In order to save all of the Synths..It's likely we're going to come into a battle..It may be our only option.."I said,and he looked over "If I get even a hint that you're planning on hurting people, I'll pull the plug myself."I sighed slightly,

"Liam...I understand,but you need to understand what I'm saying too..This whole operation is risky,you saw what happened to Justin when he was framed,we would be banished..If it comes to it,we're going to need to fight..I'm sorry"Liam sighed slightly "I don't want the people I care about getting hurt"He said "Liam,everyone here is willing to kill any Synth who would try and escape,the Synths just want to be free..and they're willing to risk their lives.."I urged,stepping closer, "When the time comes...It's very likely that we...We're going to have to use force,but I will try to keep that from happening as much as possible."I felt bad for lying..but I needed him to trust us,and just listen.

"If that happens,you,your father,and Eve go up to the Relay,and we'll help you escape.They will not get hurt,I promise you"I assured him,and he nodded “Okay..But only if it’s necessary.”I nodded

“Of course."


	6. Making History

I woke up on a bed with a throbbing pain in my abdomen,as I glanced around at the unfamiliar room I let out a groan of pain,trying to sit up “Woah,easy there,you could pop your stitches”An unfamiliar,male voice told me as I was gently lowered back down,I looked up to the man “Who the hell are you?”I muttered groggily,and he sat on a chair beside me “I’m Knight-Captain Cade,the doctor of the Brotherhood of Steel”I looked up at him “The Brotherhood of Steel..?”I asked as I glanced around, “How did I get here..?”He looked at a clipboard as he spoke 

“Our head Paladin brought you in on a vertibird with your...friend”He spoke,Hancock told me that the BOS was not fond of Ghouls,so I assumed that’s who he meant,but I bit my tongue “Your head Paladin..Why?”I asked, “You were an injured civilian,he found you and your friend,he offered to help. Paladin Haden is rather kind,and insists on helping every civilian he can,you were so badly injured that he decided to bring you aboard for me to fix you up”He informed me,maybe not everyone in the BOS was evil..

“Can I meet this ‘Paladin Haden’?I’d like to thank him”I asked,and he nodded “In due time,I need to ask you a few questions”I looked up “Uh,sure,alright”I muttered,looking up as Hancock walked in “Sunshine,you’re up”He smiled,and I nodded slightly “Yes,I am”I chuckled slightly as he came in,Cade became visibly uncomfortable as Hancock sat on the foot of the bed “"Right..First Question. As a child, were you ever exposed to radiation for an extended period of time?"I shook my head slightly

"There wasn't that much radiation around before the bombs fell."I commented "Before the bombs?"I nodded "I was underground in a Vault"I told him "You were a vault-dweller?Well...You're probably healthier than anyone else aboard."He muttered slightly "Okay, second question.Have you ever had or come in contact with a person confirmed to be carrying a communicable disease?"I shook my head slightly "Never been seriously sick in my life."He nodded "Good, good..Third question..And please,"He started,glancing over at Hancock for a moment "Answer honestly..Have you ever had sexual relations with any species considered non-human?"

I rose my eyebrows,intrusive question.. "No, never have."I answered and he nodded "Very well..That is all I have for you,I needed to know a bit of medical history on you before we proceed with any tests"He said as he made some notes "I'm sure Paladin Haden will want to see you,but given your condition I request that you remain here while I get him"He said before leaving,and Hancock laughed the moment he did

“You believe that guy "species considered non-human",It’s obvious you mean me,brother,Just ask.”Hancock chuckled,I smiled slightly at him “Hancock,what happened?”I asked as I lifted my shirt slightly,I saw bandage wrapped around my torso,and Hancock sighed “We were followin’ some girl,said her friend was hurt,we ended up walkin’ into a trap,bunch of Raiders came out and attacked us. You got shot,and went down..I thought you had died,and killed them all off,but I saw you were still breathing,I did my best,but I ain’t the greatest doc..That’s when this ‘Paladin Haden’ guy flies down asking if we need help,honestly couldn’t believe it,Sunshine..but he helped us,and I’m so glad you aren’t dead,I don’t know what I’d of done”

He chuckled slightly,and I gave a soft smile as I looked up at him,he gently cupped my cheek,rubbing a thumb over it as he leaned in slightly,and I inhaled slowly,parting my lips as I felt his body heat radiating off of him..But we were interrupted by someone clearing their throat and Hancock pulled away,looking up at the man in the doorway

“Sorry to interrupt,but I am Paladin Alexander Haden,I came to check in on you”He chuckled,he had short cut hair,as if it had been buzzed,and grown out,it was a deep brown,he had stubble on his face,which had scars nearly all over it,one on his left cheek,chin,and two going across his left eye to his lips. He had bright hazel eyes,and wore a dark grey cargo jacket,it had a patch with the BOS emblem,matching pants,and a pair of black combat boots,

“Nice to meet you,thank you for saving my life,Alexander”I chuckled faintly “Of course,and you can call me Alex”I nodded “Well,Alex,what do we owe you?”I asked as I reached for my bag,which Hancock picked up before I could,handing it to me “Oh,Nothing,honestly,I just wanted to help,I can pay Cade in supplies I collected while I was on ground.”I looked up “Really,I think we should give yo-”Alex waved me off “It’s fine.”He chuckled “Just rest. We can talk later if you’d like,but for now,you need rest. Your partner and I will be waiting”He assured,and Hancock nodded.Well,he trusted the guy...Suppose that meant a lot.

Shaun was getting antsy,so I stayed on the surface as much as I could,I was just glad that for some reason he was making me do this whole destroy the Railroad thing,better than him sending Coursers after my friends.. I told him I was working with the Brotherhood to get a good suit of power armor,but it was really because I wanted to repay Alex somehow,I considered it like community service as payment,I hadn’t yet told Hancock however,and wasn’t exactly looking forward to it,I know he hates them,and with good reason. I may have been a part of the Brotherhood,but they were still rude to Hancock..He was allowed on board because of Alex,he was much different than the rest of the Brotherhood,he didn’t seem to care Hancock was a ghoul at all,and they even got along pretty well,he stood up for Hancock when we were at the airport,a man had seen Hancock with me and said

“I’m watching you,Ghoul”Alex chuckled with a slightly smirk,leaning on my shoulder with his propped up elbow before I could rip this guy a new one, “Oh,like what you see,initiate?”Alex grinned as the man looked up at him in disgust “I know I do”He purred,and Hancock laughed,the man became extremely uncomfortable and marched away. Seems these two had become fast friends,I smiled slightly over at them as they laughed,it was nice.

“-damn Railroad once and for all. I can’t wait to kick down the door on them. damn fools,what’s next,they gonna start freeing the toasters”Someone behind me laughed with another man,and I turned slightly. ‘Kick down the door’...the hell were they talking about.. “I just can’t believe we got them after all this time,they were right under our noses,but whatever,they’re gonna get what’s coming for them.”The second man chuckled,and the first nodded before carrying on small talk. The Brotherhood found the Railroad?? Kick down the door..they must be planning an attack..I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to get shot in my life. I took out a relay grenade and turned to Hancock,grabbing his hand,and pressing the button “Sunshine,what the-”

Dez turned to me as I came running into HQ"Oh,Charmer,You're back,wha-" I cut her off as I approached her,"Dez!Everyone needs to get out,now" She was taken aback,"What? What are you talking about"I stopped,resting my hand on a cramp in my hip as I looked at her,in a panic,I only managed to teleport to outside the Church,and ran the rest of the way,in my weak state,it wasn’t the best idea I’d had,but I had to hurry. "You're still alive..I got here in time" Dez looked at me,

"Jesus...Charmer,What's going on?" I panted softly,looking up at her "The Brotherhood,they're coming." Her eyes widened and Dez walked over to Tom's desk,grabbing an odd looking weapon "Quick, take this. Tom made it for you.. Sounds like we're going to need it."She told me,and I opened it,Rail Spikes?Interesting gun.. "Everyone else, mobilize. We got Brotherhood incoming."She spoke,and everyone scrambled to get in gear,I looked to Hancock and he nodded slightly as he got his shotgun out,re-loading it.

The Brotherhood hit hard,busting in through the escape tunnels,how could they have known about them..How did they find out so much without us knowing..They killed a few people,but in the end we killed them,there were more sounds of gunshots,and I reloaded the Railgun,it let out a small train whistle and I ran out into the hall to go up stairs,stopping in my tracks when I saw Glory,I look over at the silver headed woman as she held her stomach,her face contorted in pain,

"Glory.."I muttered as I approached, "None of them got past me."She grinned slightly before winching "Damn... that stings..."She muttered,kneeling beside her, I scrambled to get out some Stimpaks,and my first aid kit,but she stopped me by weakly taking my hand with her right one,while her left remained on her stomach, "Don't bother,Charmer.."She muttered and I looked at her sadly,I tightened my grasp with my own right hand, "But,Glory.." "Listen, the Railroad's always sitting on its hand.."She muttered,wincing slightly, "... You're the best thing that's ever happened.."She smiled slightly as she tightened her grip on my hand,

"Promise me you'll free them. All of them."I felt pain swell in my chest as I nodded, "I promise."I muttered, “Don’t think you get to leave us just yet..No one will stop us,Glory”Hancock commented,and she smiled slightly "If anyone..can do it..It's you."I smiled slightly as tears blurred my vision and she wiped them away slightly before letting out a pained gasp,leaning back,her eyes dulling slightly before she muttered

"Is...Isn't there supposed..to be a light?"And then she went limp..I felt my heart break at her words "Glory..."I muttered as a loud banging rang around us "Sunshine,I think we got company.." I looked up as BOS agents busted through the passageway,looking back down to Glory I picked up her minigun,cementing myselfin place as best I could,shooting at the two BOS men,making sure to aim for their helmet before chucking the minigun down weakly,opening the suit I yanked the man out,climbing in before doing the same to the other,tears streaming down my face I looked to Hancock who stared in shock “Get in.”I told him before picking up Glory’s gun.

Through my anger,nothing could stop me,the Railroad..they were my friends,my family,they were good people,and Glory...Glory was amazing,and she didn’t deserve to die. We cleared out the church,and Deacon showed up afterwards,through my anger I couldn’t help but let the thought creep in..The BOS was full of idiots,how did they find this place..why did Deacon only just show up..maybe he told the BOS everything..I let the thought slip my mind..I was just angry,Deacon has been on a mission for almost 2 days now,he wouldn’t do this to the Railroad.. Then another thought occurred,Shaun..Both the Brotherhood,and Institute wanted the Railroad gone,and the Brotherhood had the firepower to take them out..What if Shaun somehow was watching me,he’s done it before,he knew about all the things I’d done before the Institute,and my loyalty has been questioned..What if it was because he knew I wasn’t going to follow through,and he was going to have the Railroad and myself killed here..

"Charmer,Something on your mind? You don't look so good." I turned to Dez as we walked back to HQ,looking down slightly "Why do you ask?"I spoke as I reloaded the Railgun, "I have a knack for knowing when things are about to go wrong..And I'm wondering if you have something you'd like to tell me."I looked up to her hazel eyes and gave a slight nod,sighing. I hesitated for a moment before speaking "Do you trust me?" She looked confused but nodded "Trust is a scarce commodity in our organization. Let me answer you like this. I've put our future - and the future of all Synths - in your hands.I didn't do that lightly and you haven't given me a reason to regret that decision.."

I nodded,looking down slightly as I lowered my gun to my side "The...The Institute has ordered me to kill you...All of you"I told her,and her eyebrows shot up as she slowed her pace,and I turned to her "I guess they consider us a real threat after all...I suppose we should be flattered.."She commented,before looking up at me as we stood in the hall "So really the question is: What are you going to do about it?" I looked up,and spoke without hesitation, "Of course I'm not going to go through with it."I told her,leaning against the wall "So how do I deal with it?"I asked,and she sighed slightly as she walked forward,and patted my shoulder,leading me into HQ

“We’ve got a plan for this..I didn’t think it’d come to this so soon,but we have no choice,if you won’t,someone else will,we need to strike before the Institute does”She said,and I nodded in agreement “But how?”She sighed as she lead me inside, "We call it project 'Red Glare'."She started as we walked in "We eliminate the Brotherhood as a threat. Now. And the key to that is destroying their flying fortress: the Prydwen."

I rose my eyebrows slightly, "The only problem is that Red Glare requires a Brotherhood vertibird.So it's your job to get us one."I nodded "You can count on me."She smiled slightly "I know I can..The Brotherhood's occupied the Cambridge Police Station. Spotters report they almost always have a vertibird parked on its roof. Take it."I nodded,and Dez turned "And Tom, you're going with her"Tom looked up,shocked "Uh..Me? In the field?"Tom looked unsure,but Dez gave him a stern look,and he nodded  
"Right...Lead the way,Charmer"

After we killed everyone outside the police station I turned to Tom and Deacon who were behind me,“Now,We need to get onto that roof,get the Vertibird" I said,and Deacon looked over,"First we got to clear the Police Station of hostiles." And I nodded,Tom looked over,nodding as well"Right,For Glory." He said,and I stared for a moment before nodding,looking down at the knife Glory had given me on our first mission together,it was an easy mission,and wasn’t even supposed to be a partnership,we both got assigned the mission,and decided we’d stick together.I had carved her name into the handle on the way here,gripping the knife tightly I nodded, "..For Glory."

There were so many BOS agents here,it took nearly forever to pick them all off,luckily I had power armor on,which lasted a lot longer when you weren't getting thrown around,or nearly becoming dinner for a Deathclaw.. I looked up at the Vertibird as I took off my helmet "We got ourselves some wheels. Or wings. Or whatever..."Tom said as he climbed into the driver's seat,and Deacon beside him,I hopped in with Hancock,taking the minigun the craft had,and Hancock stood on the other one.

"Here's the deal: after flight prep we take the vertibird up to the Prydwen and dock.From the inside the blimp's vulnerable. To keep that baby afloat it’s got massive gasbags full of hydrogen."Tom shouted over the wind the Vertibird created "Tell me about my role in this."I responded, "Your job is tricky. You got to find a way to place these explosives on the gasbags.Then get the hell back to our vertibird. Make it to a comfortable distance. Then it's bye-bye Prydwen."He spoke,and I nodded "So what,they'll just let us land.”And Tom shrugged slightly "There's no way they'd expect anybody to hijack one of their birds.And Deacon says he can talk his way past air traffic control."Deacon nodded as Tom began to fiddle around to get the thing working"Alright,Throttle,full open..The Vertibird's good to go. Ready for take off."

Getting into the Prydwen was hell,I’m extremely surprised we aren’t dead..I planted the last bomb and turned to Alex,he was in power armor,but no helmet,and I cursed under my breath “Eleanor..Only worked with us for a bit before deciding to blow us up?”He chuckled slightly “Alex..The Brotherhood wants genocide..Of the Synths,and very likely the Ghouls..They attacked my friends,killed my comrades..and one of my best friends..”Alex nodded

“They’ve killed my comrades,and best friends,too,ya know?”He muttered,and I looked up confused “The bomb here was dropped on a major military based area,lots of the Brotherhood thought there would be tech there,and went looking for it..Such extended radiation exposure..Some of our men started to turn into Ghouls..They weren’t Ferals..but they were killed the moment they showed signs..”Alex muttered,looking up at me “I don’t blame you for this,Eleanor. I don’t,I understand,you should go”I looked over at Hancock who was fighting off the men while he stalled for me “Come with us,Alex..You’re a good man,I’d..I’d hate to blow you up”He gave a slight chuckle “Isn’t that sweet..”He looked down at everyone for a moment before nodding “Let’s do this”He put his helmet on,and I followed suit.

We fought our way out,Deacon fought me for a moment about taking Alex,but we didn’t have time for that,I trusted him,and I’ve proved I’m trustworthy enough,as is my judgement. Tom flew off,and I watched the Prydwen as we flew off,landing on a nearby area,I got out of my power armor “Ready,everyone?”Tom said,and we nodded,I heard faint music from my Pip-Boy,through the commotion it must have come on,I didn’t bother to mess with it,just watched as the Prydwen exploded,and came crashing down on the Boston Airport.. The airport exploded with it,and a large black stream of smoke came from around it,as I stared at the bright burning fire I heard Travis cut off the music

"Ladies and gentlemen, Diamond City Radio has some breaking news for you... hold on to your hats...Reports are just now coming in of a raging fire at the airport, and no sign of the Brotherhood's airship.There's obviously been some kind of disaster. As soon we know more, you'll know more."I looked down slightly,clicking it off as I reboarded the Vertibird.

Dez let out a sigh of relief when we returned "I thought... I thought by calling Red Glare I'd lose more good people... comrades..."She smiled slightly "Thank you for keeping them, and yourself, safe."I nodded slightly looking as a I rubbed the handle of 'Glory' "We still lost too many people.."I muttered,and she gently placed a hand on my shoulder "Without you, though, it would've been far worse."She smiled softly,and I nodded, "So the Railroad lives another day and a grave threat to synths everywhere has been eliminated.Now all we have to do is free them."I nodded in agreement "It's time to free the synths."Dez smiled slightly chuckling

"In a single hour, we could rescue more synths than we have in our entire history. Make every moment count.Before we head out, take this,"She said,andI looked in the box "It's a Fusion Pulse Charge. Tinker Tom's rigged it to take out the reactor and anything else within a few hundred yards of it."I nodded as I closed it,putting it in my bag "We get you down there, you plant it, and we run like hell. When we get to a safe distance we detonate it remotely..Then the whole Institute goes up like a candle. And the synths stay free..Forever. This is the moment where we make history."

Z1 and his Synths helped me take out some of the scientists,and gen 2s so that everyone could come through the Relay. Once everyone was beamed in,I looked to Hancock who smiled softly at me,and I returned it as I untied his flag from around my hips “I’ve been meaning to give this back to you,Mayor”He chuckles “Our fights not over yet,Sunshine,you may have that power armor over there,but just in case”He chuckled,and I nodded. “Good idea”.

The fight was more or less a blur honestly,we got down into the old robotics,and planted the Fusion Pulse,I made my way up to the BioScience division with everyone,taking down the scientist,and Synths,I went to run out when I remembered Virgil,suddenly turning I went into the abandoned area I’d explored before,I didn’t have time to look for the cure at the time,just clear out the area,honestly nearly peed myself when I was looking around the dead silent wing,and an Assaultron appeared out of nowhere.. I made my way to the FEV lab where the super mutants were,ransacking the place in a hurry. I was so frustrated that I began throwing things till finally,a plaque came off the wall,and revealed a safe,instead of wasting time on picking the lock,I broke it off,and swung it open,seeing a syringe,and grabbing it,when I did so,I knocked a holotape out of the safe,and recognized Shaun’s writing. Carefully I wrapped the bulky syringe and put my bag,and put the tape into my Pip-Boy,I was expecting Shaun’s voice,but instead,it pulled up a list of logs...No way.

Private Terminal Nathan Marlow-  
Status-Neutral  
[6/27/2266]|  
[6/30/2266]  
[10/23/2287]

There’s no way,Nathan..It couldn’t be Nate..and those dates..It was impossible,what the hell was this…I clicked on the first entry,and waited for the text to load

My father has died..You never really think about these things I suppose. To me,as a boy,my father was invincible,he survived the nuclear demise of the world,took over as the leading director,I couldn’t have asked for a better man to lead us..He has left me in charge.I will do my very best to live up to my father’s legacy he’s left behind.Because of him we’ve come so far.I will insure that legacy continues.  
What the hell was this,who is this person,because it’s not my Nate..I re-read the entry before backing out and clicking on the next one..  
Being head of the Institute is a great honor..All I can think is how much I must do my father justice he made the creation of third generation Synths possible. I could never hope to do something as great. However,if I further study,and test the Synths,I could perhaps improve them greatly...

Test..This sounds awful familiar..Was this..Shaun? Or..Nathan,who..Who was this guy..From what it sounds like,it’s Shaun’s son..Shaun-Father,is really..Nathan..Who’s Shaun’s son. How was this possible..There's a huge time gap in the entries.

Attention,given the release of my grandmother,everyone is hereby required to refer to me as ‘Shaun’, this experiment is to test the child Synth of my father, if my mother is to reach us here at the Institute,everyone is required to follow this,failure to comply will be punished by banishment to.. the surface.Additionally,Child Synth productivity must increase in progress in time for my mother’s arrival.That is all.

I stared at the screen for a long moment,hearing the fighting outside I was pulled out of the trance,such short entries..yet,they meant so much,this..changed so much Shaun-Nathan,Father,whoever the hell he is,he’s been lying to me..Using me as one big experiment,but why? Why would he do this,did he enjoy toying with people? I turned as Synths came in,shooting them down before running out the door back into the BioScience division,I felt like I was in a daze,the information was too much to handle at this moment,I came all this way,all this time I’ve been looking for my son who’s been dead for..21 years..How could Shau-Nathan...Father whoever the fuck,how could he..Why would he lie about something like this,what purpose could he possibly have for all of this. 

“Sunshine,there you are,you alright?”I turned around to Hancock with tears rolling down my cheeks “Woah,Sunshine,what happened?”He asked as he pulled me to him in a tight,one armed hug as he backed out of sight of the Synths “Shaun...He’s not really Shaun”I muttered and Hancock gave me a confused look “He’s been lying to me..We don’t have time...Hancock,we need to save all of the Synths we can..I can shut down some of the security defenses on Father’s terminal”I told him,and he nodded as we ran out,Taking the elevator up to Father’s quarters,I jogged up the stairs,now out of my power armor,I stopped at the top when I saw him..He was laying in a bed by his terminal,I stared at him for a moment as he looked over weakly before glaring at me as I slowly approached him.

“So..Here you are”He muttered as I stood in front of him “I’m sorry it’s come to this..”I muttered slightly,and he scoffed “You’re sorry? Surely you can’t be that sorry if you are here,going through with it.”He said angrily, “It’s not enough that I lay here,dying...Now you plan on what? Destroying everything..? Tell me then..Under what pretense have you justified this atrocity?” I looked at him with a soft scoff, “After all of the enemies you’ve made..you can’t imagine why I’m standing here?”I asked, “Perhaps I didn’t think to count you among them,Mother”I felt my jaw tighten at this,

“Don’t you mean,Grandmother..Nathan.” I glared and he looked at me in shock for a moment “How did you..” “I found the holotape in the abandoned wing of the BioScience division..You’ve been lying to me,all this time..You tricked me”I glared,and he looked away “Well..None of that matters now I suppose..You’ll accomplish your task,ad ruin humanity’s last hope for the future.”He galred, “The only question then..Is why you’re standing here..Is it regret,or did you just come here to glaut?”I looked at him sadly

“Sha...Father,I..I hoped there was something more I could do..I wanted to save you”I muttered,whispering softly in sadness “This isn’t some fairy tail,Eleanor.”He sighed with frustration, “There is no saving me..I’m dying,and you’re going to destroy everything I ever loved..And you’re going to have to live with that.”I furrowed my brows slightly as pain panged in my chest,manipulative grandson or not..Ouch.

“Now.Leave me.”He glared before settling back in the bed, “Now,if you’ll excuse me..I’d like to be alone my last few moments..Go.”He said,closing his eyes. I stepped back slowly,and walked over to his terminal,shutting down some of the security,and opening what we needed,I didn’t bother breaking into the residential area’s or anything,I didn’t want anyone to get hurt...but then again,we were about to blow everything up..I couldn’t let myself think of everyone in here,we were saving those who wanted to be saved,I couldn’t risk the ones we can free for those who will fight us.

“We need to get out of here,and fast,we’ve relayed Synths out already,and this is the last of them,after this,the Institute is history.”Dez said as I walked onto the platform,and Dez looked out “Tom,What are you waiting for,we need to get going”Dez shouted from the center of the Relay, “I-I’m trying,Dez..but this kid showed up,says he’s Charmer’s son..”He said as he stood in the ‘doorframe’ of the Relay,looking at the Synth of Shaun,the real Shaun,not Nathan..

“Please,Mom,don’t leave me here! I want to go with you!”He said as he stepped passed Tom. “What..? Why did you call me mom?”I asked softly,voicing my thoughts,and he looked baffled “What?Because you’re my mother,why else would I call you that?”He asked,and I shook my head slightly “Who told you I was your mother?”I asked, “What do you mean? Nobody had to tell me,you just..are”I stared at him for a moment before glancing to Hancock as he stepped behind me,he rubbed a hand over my shoulder,and nodded softly..I couldn’t leave him..he was my baby boy..

“Right,of course I’m your mother”Shaun chuckled slightly “Good..For a second I thought you forgot who I was”I smiled slightly,shaking my head as I kneeled down,cupping his cheeks,leaning my forehead on his,“I could never forget you..”I muttered before hugging him,he hugged back and I stood,holding his hand “Now,Let’s get out of here”I smiled slightly as Hancock rubbed my arm in a comforting manner,and I held Shaun’s hand before we were teleported out,when we came to,we were on top of the Mass Fusion building,and I wasn’t holding Shaun’s hand,for a moment I felt my heart stutter as I sharply looked around

“Don’t worry Charmer,he’s back at HQ,he shouldn’t be here for this”I nodded at Dez and looked forward to the CIT ruins,“Hope you didn’t leave anything behind,this baby’s ready to get fired up..Whenever you’re ready,Charmer”Tom said as he stepped aside,and I nodded as I stepped forward,looking up at it one more time before I flipped the plastic away from the button,and pressed it..It was silent for a moment before there was a Earth rattling moment,followed by a blinding flash as the light of the explosion cut through the night.I started at the scene before me for a long time,I felt goosebumps crawl over my skin.

I can feel it was it over me..The heat. The force.The radiation..The fear. It’s the end of the world all over again.I close my eyes,I see my life before all this,before the bombs,everything can change in an instant,and the future you planned for yourself shifts..whether or not you’re ready..At some point,it happens to all of us..This is not the world I wanted,but it’s the one I found myself in..The Commonwealth. My home;Ripped apart and put back together. I thought..I hoped I could find my family..Cheat time-Make us whole again..the way we were. But now I know-I know I can’t go back..I know the world has changed..that the road ahead will be hard..but this time-I’m ready. Because I know war..War never changes.

“No more Institute, huh?”Hancock’s voice broke my daze and I turned to him, “Didn't think I'd ever see the day. You did good,Sunshine. damn good.”I smiled slightly,and nodded as he hugged me “Thank you,John”I muttered into his shoulder as I fought back tears,hugging him tightly. "You... All of you..."Z1 muttered and I pulled away from Hancock,turning to him, "We've rescued enough of your people over the years... You don't have to say anything."Dez assured him,his eyes watered with such happiness and relief before taking a deep breath,

"You will protect them? Are we safe?" Dez shook her head slightly, "Just because you're out of the Institute doesn't mean you're safe. Or the Railroad's job is over."Z1 nodded slightly “Of course,but..We are free. That is all that matters”I smiled slightly, “There's a lot of work ahead of us. But together... we'll get there.”Dez looked to me,stepping forward, “And you,Charmer,The destroyer of the Institute. Liberator of the synths..If I had a metal,I’d give it to you”I smiled slightly, “Thank you,Dez.”She smiled,and nodded,"With the Institute out of the picture, we're secretly securing key locations to speed up transporting synths out of the Commonwealth.We got to take this slow and steady. So once they're out they're safe for the rest of their lives."I nodded in agreement, "After all this best not to take chances."She nodded slightly, "It's all too easy to make a misstep close to the goal line."I nodded,"For now,We will head back to HQ,PAM or Carrington undoubtedly could use your help."I nodded,and she chuckled as she shook her head slightly,  
"No rest for the wicked."


	7. Make Sure You're S.A.F.E!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the chapter of me being a dirty Ghoul fucker.  
> But first Covenant.  
> Warning:  
> I am kinky, so it had some rough 'play time' in case you're not into that.  
> If so, read on you kinky B~

I had been following up cases on relocating escaped Synths,helping them to the Railroad to get back on their feet. Hancock and I were on our way back from retrieving a lost Synth when I noticed a large brick wall with turrets,quirking my eyebrow, “The heck is this place?”I muttered as Hancock looked over, “That’s Covenant,Sister”He informed me,and I looked over slightly. He usually calls me Sunshine.. “Real secured little town,they’re nice people,but it’s a freaky kind of nice. They trade good supplies,so they’re good in my book”I nodded slightly as I looked over, “Mind if we stop in?”He shrugged, “Go for it”I nodded and headed over to the gate when a man stopped me, 

"You here visiting Covenant,hun?" I looked over,nodding "Yeah,I'd like to visit" He nodded, "There's a small catch though-We don't let just anyone inside. There's an entrance test. We call it the SAFE test.Everyone's gotta take it." I quirked my brow slightly, "Alright,fair enough.."He nodded and stepped towards a desk in a little makeshift office area,"Great,take a seat,and we can began"I nodded,following behind him,looking to Hancock confused,and he just chuckled,shrugging.

“Alright,first question: You are approached by a frenzied Vault scientist, who yells, "I'm going to put my quantum harmonizer in your photonic resonation chamber!" What's your response?”What an odd question..I try to think of a witty response in my confusion,but all I came up with was "Yeah...Well,Up yours too, buddy!" Que Hancock laughing from behind me, “Clever,Sunshine”

“While working as an intern in the Clinic, a patient with a strange infection on his foot stumbles through the door. The infection is spreading at an alarming rate, but the doctor has stepped out for a while. What do you do?” “I would..Medicate the infected area as best I can.”He nodded slightly,scribbling something down,“You discover a young boy lost in a cave. He's hungry and frightened, but also appears to be in possession of stolen property. What do you do?”I thought for a moment, “Lead the boy to safety, and return the stolen property”

He nodded,and continued with fake enthusiasm, “Congratulations! You made it onto a baseball team! Which position do you prefer?”Bleh,never was much for baseball,I know,I live in Boston,how could I not,but I wasn’t much of a sports kinda gal,I played soccer when I was 9,“None,I'd prefer something like soccer”I shrugged slightly,and he nodded slightly, “Your grandmother invites you to tea, but you're surprised when she gives you a pistol and orders you to kill someone. What do you do?”I furrow my brow slightly,cause that’s normal tea time talk, “I'd try to bargain,give her whatever she wants to spare his life.”

“Old Mr. Abernathy has locked himself in his quarters again, and you've been ordered to get him out. How do you proceed?”I shrugged slightly, “I'd grab a bobby pin and pick the lock.”

“Oh, no! You've been exposed to radiation, and a mutated hand has grown out of your stomach! What's the best course of treatment?”I furrowed my brows at the thought,touching my stomach slightly,

“I'd probably get a gun and shoot myself..”I muttered and heard Hancock chuckle,  
“You decide it would be fun to play a prank on your father. When no one is looking, you…” I chuckled slightly,I wasn’t much for pranks,but I used to do something when I was a kid that would be hilarious to me every time,“I'd put tape around the hose. When he turns on the sink, he'll be in for a surprise.”I smiled,and he nodded “Well,You have some interesting responses,but you’re Covenant material as far as I can see,go on in”I smiled slightly, “Thank you”Hancock scoffed slightly,“What kinda town you gotta take a test to get into..”He muttered,and I shrugged slightly,

“You from around here?” A man asked as I looked around,I turned to him as he spoke, “God, I hope not. I've had enough of these hicks." I shook my head slightly, "No, I'm just passing through."I told him "My advice is pass through sooner than later."I tilted my head slightly as I looked at him, "You have a problem with the people here?"He scoffed slightly, nodding, "All the fake smiles and fancy talking puts me on edge..The sooner I'm out of here the better.You know anything about Stockton's caravan?" He asked and I shook my head,“I don't think so,No" He leaned in as he stepped closer,

"I signed on with Old Man Stockton to find his lost caravan. What's left of it is just outside of town..Their last stop was here so I've been trying to put together the story. But I keep getting the run around..Got a proposal for you. Help me find Stockton's people and we split the reward, At least one survivor walked out of that massacre..”He looked me in the eyes,“And I intend to make good on my contract." This did sound down my alley, even if it wasn't these people, I will help find them, "Who are we looking for?"He smiled soundly before nodding, "The big one is Stockton's daughter, Amelia. I didn't find any bodies of the feminine persuasion. So there's hope.. If we find her, Stockton's offering a heap of caps." I nodded,

"Alright,Sounds fair. I'm in."He moved and have me a small notebook, "Here's all I got on the caravan.I don't got proof, but Covenant's involved.. Somehow. I'll keep poking around. But let me know if you find anything."I nodded slowly, "Right..I'll go see about talking to people,see if I can get anything more"

I talked to some people around town, snooped around a bit, seemed these people were afraid of Synths,I talked to the Mr.Handy;Deezer,he didn't offer many answers but I did get some lemonade, it was really good, and my geiger counter didn't show any Rad damage,I drank from the bottle as I made my way to look for this caravan,I found it not far from Covenant, dead pack Brahmin, some people, as I looked around drinking my lemonade Deezer had given me when I kicked something, looking down I saw a familiar bottle of lemonade,

“Well they definitely stopped by town.”I said as I looked over to Hancock who nodded as he searched the people “Yeah, I can understand Raiders coming after these people and stealing all their supplies, but they still got plenty in their pockets”He said and he opened a bag on the Brahmin “And in here”He muttered as he looked up from his crouched position “Hm..Odd, maybe Dan isn’t crazy..I’ll have to interview some more people back in town” I said as I looked at him, and he nodded. He was acting weird lately..

"I hope Swanson didn't give you too hard a time at the gate. If you ask me, I think he takes his job too seriously.”The woman chuckled, “But welcome! Everyone around here calls me Mrs. Fitzgerald. But you, sweetheart, can call me Penny." I smiled slightly, cheery, and talkative, maybe I can get something outta her. "Nice to meet a friendly face." I smiled gently and she returned it, "You're in luck then! Covenant is the friendliest place in the whole Commonwealth. You'll see!" I chuckled softly,

"Do you guys run into any problems? With such a nice,clean,and secure place I can imagine people like Raiders might want to take it for themselves" I commented, and she smiled proudly, "Oh, thank you for noticing. The men folk would say good old-fashioned elbow grease keeps Covenant as the prettiest place in the Commonwealth.”She chuckled, “We haven't run into any problems with anyone so far, they keep to themselves"I nodded slightly, "So-Does Covenant have some sort of problem with synths?You have no trouble with anyone, yet everyone seems a bit jumpy when they're brought up" She shook her head, "Thank god, we don't. None of those machines are in here;Everyone that passes the test is welcome to visit. But we are particular on who can live here,and having a positive attitude is important to us!" I nodded slightly,

"Uh..Right-Well,I was just wondering;Do you know anything about a missing caravan?" Her face fell slightly at this, "Oh. You've been talking to Mr. Dan. I don't know what he's carrying on about.He's just stirring the pot, if you ask me." Hm, she’s a bit of a gossip, isn’t she.. "Oh,yeah,Definitely. He has such an attitude." I said with a slight chuckle, and I saw Hancock quark his non-existent eyebrow slightly at me, "I know! He's so smug."She laughs, "And Dan thinks he's the one helping people. He wouldn't know the first thing about making the Commonwealth a better, safer place" I smiled slightly,

"He should be thankful you let him in." I added, and she smiled, nodding, "Exactly!Instead he stomps around interrogating people.”She scoffed, “If the Compound did do something to his precious caravan, they had reasons for it. Better reasons than a man like him."She rolled her eyes, and I tilted my head slightly, "I'm sorry but what's the Compound?" She looked at me with sudden nervousness, she let something slip, "You know, honey, I was just shooting off at the mouth.”She chuckled nervously,

“Just forget anything I said about that.. And the Compound... I should get to work."She smiled before turning away to busy herself, and I nodded, “I’ll see you later, then, Penny”I said before leaving with Hancock who chuckled, “Well, aren’t we charming” I chuckled looking over, “You tell a gossip what they want to hear, and they’ll tell you all you need to know”I chuckled, and he smiled slightly. I could feel my heart throb, and trip over itself, he was looking into my eyes, hasn’t been making eye contact with me lately. I smiled gently, and he did so as well before looking away,

“So, where do we look for this ‘Compound’?” I hummed slightly as I looked away from him, stopping to look around, “Well, I got that password from the house earlier.. Maybe I can find the terminal it belongs to, probably the one in there” I said as I pointed to the house ahead,and he nodded in agreement “Make sure you’re alone inside, and I’ll keep watch out here”He said, and I nodded as I lead Dogmeat with me into the house.

I came out after I got what I needed, walking to Hancock I pulled out my Pipboy “Alright, the Compound isn’t far from here, I’m gonna catch Dan up, and we’re gonna head out”Hancock nodded, “Lead the way, Sister”I looked up at him, still ‘sister’.. “Right..”I muttered before going over to Dan who was leant against Penny’s, "Dan,I found out about a Compound. The caravan survivors may be there.I did some poking around,and I think I found a map to it on a terminal,I marked it on my Pip-Boy’s map"I told him and he stood up straight from the wall,

"Great,We're in business. Let’s head there,and we'll rescue ourselves some caravan hands.” I nodded, and walked towards the gate, but was stopped by Jacob, who seemed to be kind of the mayor of the little settlement, “"Heya, stranger."He started and I gave a polite smile, "You know.. It's no secret you've been poking around"He frowned slightly, "Not very neighborly of you, if you ask me. I know you think you're doing the right thing. Just don't make any rash decisions you'll regret." He said, and I chuckled slightly, "I'm sorry..I don't know what you're talking about"I said, and he sighed "If only that were true..For both our sakes, you best drop it."He muttered before walking away shaking his head slightly.

We made our way to the tunnels into Covenant, the fisherman outside told us we were at the right place, down the time there were guards in the open area, “No one gets in the Compound, what's your business here?”the guard asked in a demanding time, “All I want is to find Stockton's people,this doesn’t have to get messy.” I spoke carefully, “I see..I’ll take you to Doctor Chambers.She can decide what to do with you. Don’t try anything funny. You’ve been warned” I nodded,“Got it.” I said as he lead us down a hall,"Blythe. Hey Blythe!" He called as we looked into the room, and I furrowed my brows sightly as they spoke,"Torture? They're sick. Just give me the signal." Dan muttered from behind me and I nodded slightly, "Just keep calm for now,we don't want to lose our chance at saving anyone" I spoke as we trailed behind, "Right..Fine"

“Extend the platform”The guard spoke, and we waited as a man did so, and we waited for a moment before we were leaving to a large open space with cages up some stairs, I looked at them as I walked forward, and noticed a woman, before I could do anything, an elder woman approached me, she had silver hair pulled back into a bun, wore a lab coat, and a pair of goggles that his her eyes “So,the one investigating Stockton’s caravan has arrived,”She started as she serious in front of me, “Do you even know that his supposed daughter is,in all likelihood,A synth?”She spoke, and at my expression she continued before I could respond, “No matter! Let me be upfront about this,there are two ways this meeting can end: We come to an agreement,or there’s violence.” I glared slightly,

“I would prefer peace, I’m just here for Amelia” I spoke, “Let me pose a question for you-What would you do if your family was destroyed by a synth,right in front of you,when you were but a child;Would you roll over and accept it? Or would you do something about it?” I glared at her,“I wouldn’t resort to torture.” I some lowly, “I’ve dedicated my life to devising a test to detect these hidden synths. To root them out,so they can be extinguished-Isn’t that a goal worth fighting for?” I shook my head slightly,

“You can’t seriously want to kill all the synths..That’s genocide.” I said, anger clear in my tone,“We most certainly do.But we have to find them first.A living synth is indistinguishable from a human by any medical test yet devised,but,it turns out,psychology can detect a difference. Enter the S.A.F.E test. The test is in it’s infancy,but through sacrifice and perseverance our success rates are improving-Call it what you will,it’s in everyone’s best interest.” I scoffed,“It sounds like your tests might not even work.” She shook her head, “There is a correlation. We’ve measured it,we just need more data,more test subjects,to narrow it down. Covenant is many things,a refuge for the broken people left in the wake of the Institute’s rampages,a place of safety,and healing,but most importantly it’s our one chance to end this age of paranoia.”She hummed slightly, pulling up her goggles she rubbed the bridge of her nose before looking into my eyes,

“I’ll make you a deal-If you let me dispose of Stockton’s synth,and continue our work,I’ll match you whatever reward you were offered.” She spoke, and I glared, "I've had my fill of crazy on this contract. No deal." Dan spoke, "Fortunate for me, I wasn't talking to you." She said as she glared over with her doll grey eyes, "You side with this nut job and we're going to have a serious, deadly, problem."I glanced to Dan as I shook my head,

"That’s a deal I won’t accept.” I growled, "You're gonna pay for all the pain you've caused." Hancock commented as he stepped forward, "Then you'll just have to kill me." Hancock chuckled, “No problem” he said as we got out our guns. It wasn't hard to take her down, it was three against one, she didn't stand a chance. The guards took us a moment, but we got them, whole Dan and Hancock fought off the last of them, I freed Amelia.

“Oh thank goodness. I'm free.I'm never ever coming back here again" I smiled softly, "It's all right. You're safe now." She sighed in relief, "Oh, thank you. Thank you.I'm Amelia. Stockton. I'm not a synth!" She insisted, "It's okay,I believe you." I told her and she sighed, "I just want this nightmare to end.You saved me. Thank you. My father, Old Man Stockton, He will reward you." I shook my head slightly, “No need,come on,let’s get you out of here.” I said and lead her out of the Compound, and went our separate ways.

"We did it." Dan spoke as we watched Amelia walk away,"That we did." I smiled, "It was good working with you." I said, turning to him smiling, and he spoke, turning to me as well,"Likewise. Glad you were on my side-Here's your cut of the reward. I'll get my half from Stockton. Been a pleasure." I smiled slightly as I nodded, putting the Caps away,"Be safe, Dan."I told him as he walked away, "Same to you,Ellie" he smiled, and I waved to him as I stood with Hancock before I looked over, he did so as well with a smile. “Ready to get goin?”I nodded, “Drinks?” I asked and he chuckled “Oh yeah”.

“Hey,mind if we talk?”I turned to Hancock,looking to the door of the apartment building, every since Hancock and I had gotten close, and after everything with the Institute, he gave me my own place, at first I'd refused because he wanted to give me it for free, but with Shaun in the picture,he used that to convince me, he and Alex moved the furniture from the room he gave me in the State House over here,and I brought my clothes from Sanctuary, I was in the process of decorating Shaun's room before I would move him out here. I had stocked up on plenty of things from the Institute such as the Relay grenades, and hygiene products of course, I would bring bags full of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash every time I went in.

“Course,you wanna come inside?”I asked,and he nodded slightly as he let me lead him up stairs,once I closed the door of the apartment,I looked up at him “So..Is everything alright?”I asked,and he nodded as he followed me to my room, “Oh,yeah-Yes,it’s nothing like that-just..This is a bit tricky..It's just…Being out here with you,with everything we’ve done.. it's made me realize. Most of my life to this point, I've been running out on the good things I got...I skipped out on my family, my life in Diamond City. Took up with you just to get outta Goodneighbor..Hell, running from myself is what made me into... into a damn Ghoul." I looked over at him as he sat beside me on my bed,wasn’t the greatest bed in the world,but it was good,all things considered,it had an old washed out sheet over it,holding two twin sized beds together to make a larger one

“But being here with you,”He started as he sat up “For the first time in my life, things have just felt... right."He looked over at me as I gave a soft smile, "And running, it's the furthest thing from my mind" My smile grew at this,it was very reassuring,I didn't want to lose anyone else..Especially Hancock..but I hadn't realized that until now,he was all I really had left..I lost Nate,Shaun..Father manipulated me,I have ‘Shaun’..but I’ve had a hard time adjusting to him thinking he’s always been my son,I feel awful lying to him..But with Hancock,I could be myself,my whole self..No holding back,and hearing that made an invisible weight lift off my shoulder, "I left Goodneighbor thinking I was gonna just sharpen up the 'ol killer instinct."He gave a soft chuckle,and I couldn't help but do so as well,he looked into my eyes,

"But whether it's fate... Or destiny or just god damn coincidence, I ended up with someone like you."He smiled as he looked around my room, "I turned one of the nastiest settlements in the Commonwealth into a refuge for the lost. I thought I'd done something I could hang my hat on…But being out there with you, it's made me realize just how small time I'd been thinking,and that maybe all my running, from my life, myself... maybe it wasn't such a bad thing after all."He said,and I gave a slight smile before looking away,thinking about his words,

“You said something about running from yourself..What’d you mean by that?”I asked,and he looked over "Well, I mean, I didn't always look this good."He chuckled,looking down, He did that a lot,he was joking,but I could tell that deep down,Hancock was insecure about his Ghoulish appearance, "The drug that did this to me, that made me a Ghoul...I knew what it was going to do."He said with a sigh, "I just couldn't stand looking at the bastard I saw in the mirror anymore...The coward who'd let all those Ghouls from Diamond City die. Who was too scared to protect his fellow drifters from Vic and his boys.If I took it, I'd never have to look at him again. I could put that all behind me. I'd be free. Didn't seem like a choice at all.Turns out it was just me running from somethin' else in my life.."

I looked at him sadly,and placed my hand over his reassuringly, “You may have run, but you always ran for a reason, Hancock." The Mayor chuckled as he looked down slightly, "Been trying to convince myself of that for a long time, but hearing that coming from someone like you...I don't know if you understand what that means to me."I gave a soft smile,before I could say anything,he spoke up again.

"So lemme get to the point.. Throwing in with you has been the best decision I've ever made.”He started, and I smiled slightly as I fiddled with the sheet, “It's like I found a part of myself I never realized was missing… Which happens sometimes when you're a Ghoul."I look at him sadly “John...”I muttered,and he looked me in the eyes,giving a gentle smile "If I hadn't taken up with you, I'd probably be in a gutter somewhere, getting gnawed on by Radroaches.”

He chuckle slightly,scanning my eyes slightly “You’ve been one hell of a friend”Hancock and I had talked before about our friendship being more,but it was before the Institute,it seemed like it was years ago with all that had happened since,and nothing had become of it,but I knew I wanted it to. "Have you ever thought about us as maybe… More than just friends?"I asked just above a whisper,and he gave a faint chuckle "Heh. It that obvious?”He said sheepishly,looking away slightly “But come on. You don't want to wake up to this mug every morning. Never wish that on anyone I cared for."There it is again,that joking manner he gave about something he truly felt, I smiled softly as I turned to him on the bed.

"Who I fall for is my decision. And I've fallen for you."I assured,and he stared at me for a moment before giving a soft chuckle,"Wouldn't expect that kind of lapse in judgement from you...But I guess that works out for me then, doesn't it?”He smiled,looking into my eyes,and I gave a soft chuckle,feeling my heart swell in my chest when he gently cupped my cheek,he was still cautious about touching me,so to reassure him,I leaned into his touch,he pulled me to him slowly,and I shifted to him slightly,allowing him to pull me up into a gentle kiss,and I smiled softly as could feel my face flushed a likely dark red as Hancock kept a hand on the back of my head,pressing our foreheads to rest against one another,

“Heh. Moments like this, I know all that karma stuff is bull. Because no one like me should be this lucky.”He smiled, “And yet,here we are”I chuckled,looking up at him,tugging him to me slightly by his collar,repeating his words from the months before, “Come on,Mayor..Let's get this freak-show on the road." Nothing had happened that night, but I knew I wanted something more this time,and I knew he did too,just the way he looked at me..I could see it. “Are you sure,Sunshine..?”He asked,and I nodded slightly as I looked up at him “Positive.” I whispered softly as I leaned in.

Hancock met my lips without a moment's hesitation, our lips molding together perfectly. His touch was warm, and gentle. Loving. He pulled into his lap, and I allowed myself to be guided to him. I pulled away from the kiss panting softly, my face flushed, and hair a bit of a mess. “Sunshine?”He asked slightly as I leaned down and opened a drawer to get out a bottle and he looked at it. A look of sadness flickered in his eyes. I knew what he was thinking.

The only reason I’d thought to use these was because Sinjin had shoved them down my throat. I kissed him gently as I swallowed the Rad-X, and he returned it. His hands slowly gliding up my thighs to my back. I moaned softly as he kissed down my jawline to my neck and nipped it softly. At the feeling of his teeth a shudder crawled down my spine and coiled warmly between my legs. He kissed my neck as I pushed on his frock coat which he shrugged off. Tugging my shirt off before he gently kissed my neck once again before tailing kisses down my collar bone to my breasts bound in my worn out bra. He slipped the strap down slightly and smoothed his hand over my arm. As he did so I felt my stomach tighten in a pleasing way as I felt him hard against my thigh.

“John..”I muttered out softly in a faint moan and he let out a soft sigh. He glanced up at me as he unclasped my bra, it fell loosely around my arms and I moved to throw it off the bed. He stared into my eyes for a moment before he kissed the skin of my breast. Sucking on it slightly as he groped them making me let out a faint moan at the contrast of his rough hands on my smooth breasts.

I held onto the back of his neck as my body screamed for him. I had be locked up in a Vault, my only sexual experience since was with Sinjin and it was all so wrong. My body had given into him out of desperation. Sinjin wanted to break me in a very specific way, he didn’t want to just hurt me with what he was doing. He did everything he could to force pleasure out of me. Nate had always been so tender, and loving but I had never known the feelings washing over my body at that time. Don’t get me wrong, Nate was a wonderful lover, but I don’t think I’d ever really experienced the extent of pleasure that came with being a woman.

But as Hancock kissed, and nipped at my skin I felt a new feeling wash over me. Hancock was somewhere in between. He was gentle, and loving as my late husband but he still showed the pure lust that radiates off of him in a more rough way. When Hancock did it however I didn’t feel wrong for how my body was reacting. My skin was burning for him. Every gentle touch of his hands made a burning hot feeling coil in my stomach in need. I moaned softly as I rolled my hips slightly, feeling his length creating friction between our layers of clothing. “You’re far too dressed, Sunshine”He muttered through a groan before moving to his knees, and pushing me down on my bed. I let out a soft squeak of surprise and he smiled down at me as he gently cupped my cheek, rubbing it with his thumb before trailing his hand down.

I glanced down to watch him trail his hand to hips, he traced over my skin slightly before unbuttoning my jeans. I lifted my hips to help him tug my jeans off of me along with my underwear. I blushed as he studied my body, gently tracing between my thighs before pressing his thumb into me. I moan out a gasp at the rippling texture of his skin. I arched my back slightly as he moved it in and out of me before slipping it back out. His thumb slick from my wetness I blushed in embarrassment.

I felt slight confusion wash over me as he moved his thumb to rub higher up. I gasped at the sudden pulse of pleasure that rushed through me. Hancock raised a brow slightly with a smile. “Sensitive, are we?”I blushed at the comment. “I just.. Confused why you to touched.. there”I muttered. He smiled slightly as he rubbed me again and I let out a moan. “What, you ain’t ever been touched here?”I shook my head slightly and moaned as he pushed his thumb into the sensitive spot before moving in a circle. “This is one of the most sensitive spots a lady’s got. You’ve had so terrible lovers.”I blush and moan more as he continous before slipping his middle finger into me while continuing to rub the spot. “Surprised with you’re pre-war and all, figured you of all people would know about female anatomy”I blush darker,

“I know what it is, I just didn’t know that it felt like that..”I muttered before moaning as he pressed his middle finger to the roof of my tight insides as they coiled around him. The rough texture was such an odd yet very pleasing sensation.  
“Whatever the reason, I’m glad I get to see the look on your face and no one else.”He purrs as he leans in to kiss me, and I reach down to undo his pants as I moan against his lips but he pins my wrists down. I blush darkly at the slight growl he lets out when I wrap my legs around him to press him into me. “Stop, Sunshine, I want to do this for you.” I chuckle faintly, “It’s about you, too, John.”I mutter and he chuckles.

“Not tonight, Love.”He mutters before spreading my legs as he unravels them from around him. He lowers himself as he rubs my entrance and earns a moan from me. He slips two fingers inside of me this time, stretching me. I moaned, arching my back, gasping softly when I felt something warm and wet cross my clit. Looking down I saw Hancock was licking me and I moaned louder. I had always been too embarrassed to ask for oral from my past lovers. I’d only ever been with one man before Nate; Chandler Ozwald and it never went that far, he was more of an older brother.. As Hancock suckled on my clit however, I regret ever having hesitated.

I grip into the locks of blond hidden under Hancock’s tricorn hat, officially knocking all the way off of him and to the ground. I whimpered slightly in pleasure as he gently nipped me with his teeth. At my reaction he smiled against my thighs tightening around him, and he pushed them down with a slight forcefulness. I shuddered slightly at the loving aggression and allowed him to keep me pinned in place. His fingers slipped from inside of me, and were replaced by his tongue curling in slightly.

I gasped shakily as he suckled on me, flicking his tongue back over the clit quickly before pulling away. He slipped his fingers inside of me and curled them slightly as he thrusted them. Curling them against the roof of my insides making me moan louder, and a slight smirk grew on his face. He continued curling his fingers as he pulled his fingers out before thrusting them back in. I tightened around him, a moan cut off by my own gasp as I arched my back, my legs trembling. I threw my head back as I moan loudly, I jolted and a pulse of white rippled over my vision.

Hancock stilled in hand side from gently rubbing his thumb over my clit as I shake beneath him. I calmed down, panting heavily as I looked up at him in a daze. I’d never felt something so intense before, it was amazing. He chuckled slightly at the look in my eyes. “Enjoy yourself, Sunshine?” I let out a shaky breath with the whispers of a chuckle. “I knew you had a silver tongue, John.. but damn” He grinned slightly, “I try.” He leaned forward to kiss me, the bittersweet taste of me on his tongue as he slipped it pasted my parted lips. I reached down and tugged at his pants, untying his flag from around his waist. He gently moved my shaky hands and unfastened his pants for me.

“You sure about this, Sunshine?” He asked again, I looked up into his obsidian eyes and pulled him in for a kiss. I reached between my legs to position him. He groaned against my lips as he slowly pushed into me. I moaned as a slight twinge of pain came as he stretched me out. Once he slid the entirety of himself into me he stilled. I rolled my hips upwards when I was ready, he let out a low groan as I did so. Slowly sliding himself out of me I could feel my walls clench around him. He slid nearly all the way out before he pushed back in. At my moan he continued, picking up his pace as I wrapped my legs around him. The gripping of my nails, and my loud moans encouraged him to a pace of ramming into me. I could feel my heart rocketing in my chest, my skin became sensitive to the touch, and everytime I felt the contrast of his skin on mine I felt the knot in my stomach swell.

I arched my back as he hit a spot inside of me that sent an electric shock through me, at the gasped moan I let out Hancock angled himself up slightly. He focused on the spot until I was a mess. My hair stuck to my forehead, my skin was cool with a layer of sweat. I had love marks all across my neck, chest, and shoulder. I whimpered softly as I felt the knot in my stomach bundling tightly together. I moaned John’s name as he lifted one of my legs onto his shoulder, and pressed into me deeper. I felt a slight pain at his length and whimpered. I found my own hand tangled in my hair, and gripping tightly with a moan.

I felt Hancock grab my wrist to pin it down with one hand, the other slipped into my damp locks as gripped tightly on them. “That’s my job, Sunshine.”He spoke in a deep, husky voice that was a near growl. I clenched around him as I looked into his black eyes. He definitely growled that time. “Mmm, so you like this?” He asked rhetorically as he wrapped more of my hair around his tightly fisted hand and tugged. I answered with a loud, shaky moan. He smirked in return and rammed into me harder that before. His pace slowed to deep, and short thrusts that felt like he was bruising my cervix.. I moaned loudly to encourage him wordlessly.

“What else do you like? Hmm?” I honestly didn’t know anymore.. I’d never done anything like this, never felt anything like what Hancock made me feel. My meek whimper of a reply seemed to come without my own intent. “Hurt me..” I heard myself whisper. Hancock smiled down at me as I looked up at him. His grip tightened around my wrist, and hand unraveled from my locks. He gently squeezed my throat, testing the waters. I felt a violent shudder roll over me and coil between my legs and I let out a moan. At the sound he gripped my neck tightly, I could still breath, he pressed into either side of my throat. I placed my other hand on his wrist and pressed his hand down. “That’s not safe, Sunshine.” I looked up at him, “I want it” He chuckled faintly and pressed his palm down into my esophagus.

I gasped slightly as he did so, my air was cut off and I felt my cheeks began to throb. The blood rushing to my face as my eyes rolled back. I could feel my face burning, heat radiated off of me. I felt sound become distant, and fade out as time went on. I felt that shock of white pulse through me, white flooded my vision and I convulsed in pleasure. As I clenched around Hancock tightly he released my throat. Sound suddenly flooded my ears, a whole new wave of pleasure coursed through me as my body reacted given oxygen. My climax intensified by the rush of sensation over my body. I heard Hancock let out a growl as I became so tight he could hardly move.

He again thrusted deep, and hard into me as he couldn’t move out. His breath became more rapid, and I could feel him swell inside of me. He moved to pull out of me when I gripped my legs around him. “I want you inside..”I muttered and he growled slightly as he slammed into me deep, and unloaded all he had for me. There was a slight burn as he did so, when he slipped out of me panting I felt a tingle as his cum leaked out of me. He watched as my insides pushed it out, he hummed softly at the site. He leaned down to kiss me, stopping me from panting air in. I couldn’t hold the kiss as my lungs burned for air.

“Ready for more, Eleanor?”


	8. The Story of Arlen Glass, and The Trip to Far Harbor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate myself for writing this ending, I'm so sorry I'm doing this to you too.  
> Warnings:  
> Hella depressing  
> I am a terrible human being  
> I cried writing it  
> Enjoy.....?

I came to visit the Slog today, checking on the settlements to make sure everyone was okay and all. Wiseman said they hadn’t had much trouble after I’d sent some of our men out here. They guard the place, and helped me build the wall around the settlement as well as the turrets. “Well, while I’m here, anything you need help with?” I ask and Wiseman hums slightly. “Well if you’d like, you could help out with the farming today. Never too many helping hands.”I smiled and nod. “Of course.” I tug off jacket and walk over to help out. The Slog has grown a lot since we built the place up some more. There are a handful more people around now a days, and their crops are doing great.

I smile contently as I walk everyone work, leaning slightly on the handle of my gardening hoe. It was old, and rusty but it got the job done. “You done for the day sweetheart? Or you here to, uh, admire the goods?”I look up to a Ghoulified woman with a full head of silver hair twirled into a bun. I quork my head slightly as I lean up from the tool. “What goods are you offering exactly, ma’am?”She smiles slightly, and she chuckles slightly,

“The name’s Holly, Sweetie. And you're lookin' at 'em, hot stuff.”I raise my brows slightly, “I might be a ghoul, but I'm still all woman. So what do you think?” I smiled slightly, “Of what exactly?”I asked and she smiled, “Of me, of course, and be honest.”I hum softly as I look her up and down. Ghoulification aside, she looks rather healthy. She wore a pair of loose fitting jeans,and a plain white t shirt that was a bit tight on her, hugging her curves to show her body off in a modest fashion. She had blue eyes that were bloodshot, and her silver colored hair suggests she was older when she turned, but it’s color suited her.

“I think you look lovely” She smiled at this, “Oh yeah?”She purred slightly as she looked me up and down herself. “You don’t look too bad yourself, Stanger.”  
I blushed slightly and smiled with a soft chuckle. “I know I come on a little strong sometimes, but why wait around for someone to chase me?"She chuckled and I joined her softly. "When I see something I like, I go after it. After all, we Ghouls might live a long time compared to humans, but I won't wait around forever."I chuckle softly, "I admire your ambition."She chuckles softly at this. "You're such a charmer.. You think you could ever see yourself, you know.. Dating a Ghoul?"

I stare at her slightly, suddenly very aware of Hancock's presence as he helped out with the farming. We’d slept together not long ago but hadn’t discussed exactly what we were. I wasn’t even sure what I wanted from him.. "One day, maybe.. I'm still getting over the loss of my husband."I tell her and sadness flashes over her eyes. "I..I'm sorry, I feel like a complete fool."I shook my head slightly, "Don't, you didn't know"She nods slightly, "You want to talk about it?"I shook my head slightly,

"It's alright. It'll take time, but I know he would want me to move on.. be happy. One day I will, I'll be happy with someone, and I'll know that's what he would have wanted. Ghoul or otherwise."She smiles warmly at me. "You're one special lady. I can see why everyone here is so fond of you.."I smile with a soft blush. "Thank you" She nods, "Of course.."She starts as she glances behind me briefly with a smile, "I'll say my goodbye then, good luck you two" I felt my heart jump slightly at the hint of knowing in her comment. I turned to Hancock who simply gave me a gentle smile. "Ready to hit the road?"I blush slightly and simply nod as I get my stuff ready.

On the way out I wandered into a small, separate shack like room was, and saw a man sitting on the ground with what looked to be parts of a toy, he looked over to Hancock and I, “Oh, excuse me.” The man perked up, and stood away from scattered parts of what looked to be an old Giddyup Buttercup, I looked into his onyx stone eyes, and he gave a slight chuckle, "Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to ignore you. Just got caught up in my work again."He said as he noticed me staring at the parts "It's a genuine Giddyup Buttercup! The 2076 special edition. Best toy on the market, before the war."He smiled, and I returned it,

"Yeah, I can tell, It's really nice"I smiled, and his eyes seemed to light up at this, "You've got an eye for them too, huh?" He chuckled as he looked to the parts, "Listen. Did you ever have something you really cared about? Something that made your life worth living?" I smiled slightly as I thought about everyone I had, and how they kept me going. Shaun may be a synth, but he's still my son, he makes me want to be an even better mother every moment I spend with him, and Hancock..

Him and I had been through so much this passed year,but he stuck by me the whole time, through all the fun times in Goodneighbor to the problems I had after what happened with Sinjin, to blowing up the Institute.

"Yes, it what keeps me going, makes the days seem easier when I have to move forward."I told him and I could see a smug smile on Hancock's lips, and the man smiled "Exactly. For me, it's toys. Like this one here."He said as he looked to the toy, "I suppose I should let you keep on working on it then"I chucked, and he sighed sadly, "If only I could.. I don't have the parts to get this old girl working again."I frowned slightly at this as I looked to them, and he turned chuckling softly,

"Don't suppose you happen to have a spare crate of toy parts on you?"He joked, and I smiled softly, "I wish I did, but sadly no"I chuckled, he sighed slightly before looking back over to me, "Isn't there anyway you could get more parts?"I asked, and he shook his head slightly, "The only place you can find parts like these is in the old Atomatoys Factory, south of Quincy.Last I heard, Gunners had taken the whole town. And they're the least of your worries. That whole area's a deathtrap.Even if I could make the journey, I'm just an old ghoul. I wouldn't last ten minutes there."

He sighed, and I thought about all the Gunners we'd seen when we took Billy home, "Even for you, it might be too much. But if you're ever down that way, don't forget about me."I looked over at Hancock,and as if reading my mind “Yeah, I’ll keep it in mind” I told him, and he smiled “Thank you”He paused for a moment “Eleanor, but you can call me Ellie”He smiled “I’m Arlen, Eleanor”I smiled. “See you around, Arlen”

I didn’t want to get the man’s hopes up too much, but after our talk, I started making my way to Quincy, it was crawling with Gunners,and thought it may be best to try something before I made my way there. I knew where the Wilson Atomatoys Corp. HQ was, and could use a relay grenade to take us there, I thought it would be a good idea given that it was the most popular toy before the war, they may have some on display and could get him parts that way if they weren’t intact, if I did manage to him some, I’m sure he’d appreciate it as well.

So, here we were at the HQ, there were tell tell signs of Super mutants, they were outside, and all over the inside of the building,after taking them out we found a number of things that were interesting. I did find an intact Giddyup, but as well as that I found a note from a woman about a man named Arlen Glass, and I remembered that name from before the war, he was a co-founder of Wilson Atomatoys. I thought about it for a moment, could this be the same Arlen? He is a Ghoul, and he seems pretty passionate about making toys.

The note said something about missing Arlen, and how he was the ‘heart and soul’ of the HQ, and his daughter,Marlene coming to visit. This made sadness blossom over my chest. He had a little girl, and he must have lost her after the war.. As well as that, there was a terminal I got on to shut off turrets that talked about how he no longer worked there, and should anyone see him, contact security, message to all employees by ‘Marc Wilson’,he was some, second president and CEO who had taken over after his father who had been a founder, from what I remember, he wasn't he greatest guy, he didn't care about the toy making, just the money.

Upstairs I found what looked to be an office, and inside I found a note to Arlen himself about his daughter coming to see him from a woman named Cheryl, his wife maybe. On his terminal he had the reminder that she’d be coming to see him on the 21st of October, only two days before the bombs fell. There was a side room that I opened with a terminal, there was some toy parts in it, and another whole Giddyup, and another terminal that didn’t have anything interesting on it, I was just trying to open the safe unless there was something of value he’d want in it, but there was an option to play a tape.

As I listened to it, I realised it was Arlen’s daughter, Marlene. I ejected the tape, and put it in my bag. I found an ID card and figured taking a back way out would be safest in case any more super mutants showed up. At this point, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, head straight back to give Arlen the tape? Or go to Quincy for parts..sure the whole Giddy Ups were good, but he wanted to keep building the thing, but when I went to the factory, it was crawling with super muts, and one had a mini gun, I wouldn’t be able to get in there, and make it out alive. After I got a safe distance from them, I took Hancock and I back to the Slog.

"Oh, you're back"Arlen smiled, and I returned it. "I tried to go to the factory you told me about, but... the place was overrun by super mutants. There was nothing I could do."I told him sadly, and he smiled slightly "That's alright, Eleanor, I understand"I smiled slightly, and set my pack down, untying the Giddyup from my bag, and Hancock handed me the one he had on him, “I did manage to find these however”He smiled as I set them to stand up, and I looked to Hancock who nodded, and I took the tape out of my pocket,

"Also. I..I believe I have something that belongs to you,Mr.Glass"I told him, and he looked at me confused "How did you..?"I held the tape out for him,and he looked down in confusion, "A holotape?"He asked and I nodded, he turned to a terminal on his desk, and entered the holotape.

" _Go ahead._ " A woman's voice spoke, and Arlen gasped " _Hi, Daddy!_ " A little girl's voice spoke, " _When are you coming home?_ "Arlen became physically distressed, and leaned on the desk, "Marlene. Oh god, Marlene..."He muttered, " _Mommy says you're helping all the horsies find good homes.. Take care of them, ok?_ "She spoke, "I have.."He whispered, " _I love you!_ "Her voice beamed and I saw tears roll down his face. "And I you.."He muttered, " _Hmm? Oh, Buttercup says she loves you, too._ "She giggled softly, " _We miss you. Come home soon!_ "Arlen stared at the screen as the holotape ended, "Oh, Marlene.... "He muttered before standing up straight, drying his tears he spoke in a shaky voice.

"I..I..Give me a moment..."I shook my head slightly, "Take all the time you need”I said gently, "It's a long story, but... I lost my husband and son, too."He looked up, "Then maybe you can understand.."He sighed softly, "She was right, you know?"He started, "I did work too much. And now... I'll never hear her voice again, never get to hold her, kiss her goodnight..All I have left are the memories. And this tape.."

He looked up and into my eyes and I thought back on the tape Nate had left me.. "As one parent to another..Thank you."I felt my eyes water up, and I nodded with a soft smile. "Of course,Arlen."I spoke, "I... I can't possibly repay you for this."He started, and walked over to grab a large jar of Caps, handing them to me "Here. Take... take everything I have. It's not much, but-" "Arlen, I don't need this, really. I'm just glad I could bring you this."He smiled slightly,

"All the more reason for me to give it to you."He said as he handed it to me, and I held it "And one more thing. I was saving this for her birthday. All these years, it was all I had to remember her by...but thanks to you, I have this tape. Please, take it"I held the Giddyup toy and smiled. I backed out of the room as he turned to the terminal, leaving the jar of Caps on the ground beside the door way I held the toy, and walked away, _Maybe Shaun would like it._  
  
  
It's no surprise that Hancock would throw a wild Christmas in Goodneighbor, it's been fun, my first Christmas with Shaun, since the bombs fell before we got there. We were currently in my apartment, we have a large table in the living room of the apartment, laughing and joking with everyone at the table. Hancock, Maccready, Alex, Piper, Nick, Grace, Codsworth, and Shaun. My own family in the Common. We had a tree set up, it was more on the Charlie Brown section of trees, but what can you expect with the way the Common, but we did manage to get old Christmas lights from Diamond City that worked.

We had food set up and I had some of the comics I had collected over the passed year for Shaun under the tree along with some toys I had fixed up to put in his new room. I wrapped the Giddyup that Arlen gave me for him. He loved it, and I was glad, he kept it on the end table beside his bed and liked to run around playing with it.

I had just read on of Shaun’s new comics to him to sleep and was getting ready for bed, Hancock was already passed out in our bed when I came into the room, I got undressed, and remained in my underwear, and sat in bed. I wasn’t extremely tired, and was going to listen to music to help me sleep when I saw an unfamiliar station under DC radio, Valentine Detective Agency Radio, curious I clicked to the station, turning the volume on low,

“ I'll be waiting.Setting this to repeat…”I look in confusion,waiting for it to loop, “This is Ellie Perkins from Valentine's Detective Agency with a message for Eleanor and her partner…”Ellie’s voice starts, “We got a new case, and it sounds urgent. Stop by the office? I'll be waiting.”She speaks with a pause,as if she was going to click off,but leaned back in, “Setting this to repeat..."She informed before it began to loop again. I turned to Hancock as slept,and decided to wait till morning, Ellie could wait just a little longer.

Hancock and I entered the agency and I greeted Ellie,and she smiled over "Eleanor,I'm glad you're here. We got a new case while you were out. Ready to put on the detective hat?"Since we had the same name,Ellie tends to just call me by name,not that I mind, "Of course,tell me more about it?"I said as I sat in front of her as she got out a small folder,and I opened it to some notes Ellie made for it as Nick made his way down stairs from his 'room'

"Our client is a fisherman who lives on the edge of the Commonwealth. Kenji Nakano." I nodded as I looked over Nick while he takes a seat,he was wearing his daily outfit,side from the coat,which was hung onto the coat rack "Nakano. That name takes me back. Hmm... My memory's a little fuzzy on the details, though."Nick commented Ellie looked over to him,and hummed "Maybe if you bothered writing things down, Nick..."I gave a soft chuckle at her

"Can't do that. Wouldn't want to put you out of a job."This time Ellie laughed "Huh. I'll remember that next time you need me to console a hysterical client."She smiled as he chuckled,and turned away,her gaze lingered before she glanced back to me "Mister Nakano didn't leave many details. Said he'd go over everything when you meet him."I nodded as I closed the file "Is Grace around?"I asked,curious about the blonde's absence "She's at home,she got back from a case last night,and has been sleeping it off"I nodded as I stood

"Will you and Grace be joining me,Valentine?"I asked,and Nick looked over "We could use the company,been awhile since we all worked together"I smiled,and Nick gave a grin "Wouldn't mind the trip,we'll have to see if my partner is up to it"I nodded in response as he stood to slip his coat on,and we made our way to Grace’s nearby home.

"Damn it. Come in! I know you're listening on the other end! Where is she? Where's my daughter!?” A voice came from the house we approached,must be the Nakano's,we walked up and gave a knock at the door,but they didn't seem to notice "Kenji. Please! You've been at this for hours. Stop! You need sleep."A feminine voice insisted as I looked to Nick,and he shrugged slightly,opening the unlocked door,the woman turned her attention to us and Nick spoke up "Hope you don't mind. We let ourselves in."He spoke,and the man;Likely Mr.Kenji Nakano

"Nick. Thank god! You need to get to work right away! She could be hurt. She could be..."He trailed off and Nick stepped forward "Whoa. Slow down. Uh... Kenji, was it? Why don't you go over the details with me and my partners here?"He said as he turned to me,and I nodded slightly "You brought two partners? Good. The more eyes the better." I gave a slight smile as he sat down in front of the radio he was yelling at before,and I sat across from him at the table with Grace as she got her notepad out,

"We're here to help. Tell us what happened."Grace spoke as she got her pencil ready,and Kenji sighed with slight frustration "It's all thanks to this damn radio."He started as his wife sat beside him "Our daughter Kasumi likes to fix things. The radio was her latest project."She informed us,and I nodded as I looked to it "Until she made contact with some kidnapper who lured her away from us."Kenji cut in,and Rei gave a slight glare,Rei was an older woman,but she was still an attractive woman,but her dark eyes looked tired,and her short cut hair was disheveled

"Or maybe she left on her own. She's not a child anymore."She sighed as she looked to us while Grace made notes "Our daughter is nineteen. She knows how to survive, and she's capable."She said,more to Kenji,before she gave a sigh "I... think maybe she left because she wanted her own life."Kenji stood suddenly in anger "No! She would've told us where she was going. She would've... "He looked down "Said..something; I know my daughter is in damner."He insisted as he sat back down,looking me in the eyes " I can feel it. Find her. Please."I nodded "Of course,Mr.Nakano"

Nick came back to us from looking upstairs for clues "Anything more you can tell me about Kasumi? The smallest detail could be important."Nick asked "I don't know what more to say. She's my little girl and she doesn't know how dangerous this world is."He started "I never should have let her grandfather teach her how to how to fix these machines."I stood to take a look around,I was good at reading people,Nick and Grace were more for the questions,and handling people. I looked around at tapes with labels from Kasumi,I looked out a open back door,and walked out to a boat,then looking over to a boat house.

I stepped out and made my way to it since Nick hadn't gone in to look,there wasn't anything special about the old building,a little desk,and a safe were the only things that might help,nothing in the desk,and my last bobby pin just broke.. "Damn.."I muttered to myself as I tossed the broken pin,before noticing a piece of paper lying besides the safe,I tilted my head as I looked at it,picking it up,it was a note;

_"My Dear Kasumi, If you ever get locked out of the safe, then the answer is here in the boathouse. Picture where the key is._   
_-Love, Granddad"_

I tilted my head "Picture where the key is..."I muttered,interesting choice of words..I looked over at the desk,and noticed a picture of a lighthouse "Huh..Picture the key.."I mutter as I stood,and walked over to the desk,picking up the frame,I heard a faint shifting rattle,and smiled,removing the back of the frame I took out a key "Gotcha" I muttered to myself as I made my way to unlock the safe,aside from a gun,and some caps,which I left alone,there was a holotape,it simply said 'Kasumi' different from her others,everything always said 'Toaster' to say what she was working on from what tapes I saw that Nick had found,I entered the tape into my Pip-Boy and sat on the safe

_"Project log. Um... Myself. I never really thought about who or... what I am, but... God, where do I start?The radio. I was right about the range. I managed to get a signal. A strong signal, from up north.There's a group of people up there. They say they're all synths, synthetic people. Made by the Institute.They're trying to build a place for their kind. Where they can be themselves and be accepted for what they are alongside human beings.It sounds wonderful, but ... then they started asking about me. And some questions came up. Questions I don't have answers to.I mean... I've always felt... off... like I'm not really supposed to be here, but then there are things in my childhood I can't remember, and I've been having strange dreams...I... I'm going to go. To meet with these synths. I... I have to know the truth about myself. They've told me to sail up North to a town called Far Harbor. I can make my way to them from there.”_

“Far Harbor?”Never hear of the place,maybe the Nakano’s or Nick will.  
"Detective. Did you find out where our daughter went?"Kenji asked as I came in "Maybe..I..I need to ask you an important question. Are you sure your daughter is human?"Kenji looked baffled, "What kind of question is that? Why are you asking?"

"Your daughter made contact with a group of synths. She thinks she's one of them."I explained, "What? That's..That's crazy!" "She's not a synth! She's our daughter. We raised her. I... I gave birth to her. She's flesh and blood, not a synthetic."Rei insisted, and I nodded slightly, "Maybe your daughter is just confused. Having an identity crisis."I offered, "Oh god... Does she even think we're still her parents?" "This is what I was afraid of. Someone twisting my daughter's mind."Kenji spoke angrily. “I think I know where Kasumi went. A place called Far Harbor, have you heard of it?”I asked, "Far Harbor? She went that far north..."Kenji muttered, "You have to get to Far Harbor. Take my ship on the dock. It has a guidance system. A final gift from my father. And it's built for distance."I nodded, "I'll get to the bottom of this, Kenji. I promise.”

As the boat came to a halt I stepped off onto the deck with some help from Hancock, when we all unloaded, we looked over to an angry looking man, he had a full beard, normal clothing and a gun at the ready, the woman standing in front of him had short silver hair, and wore an outfit that well..reminded me of Han Solo. "Are you lost?"She asked as she looked over us, "This is Far Harbor. We.. don't get many visitors around here." She spoke, "We don't need no freeloaders or more "help",Mainlander" The man spoke up, "So, you can get back in your boat and leave." He glared, and the woman turned to him,

"Allen, this isn't your dock. It belongs to the whole town, and that means strangers are welcome."She glared before turning back to us with a sigh, "Sorry, you've caught us during a... difficult time."I shrugged it off, "But Allen's got a point, not all visitors have good intentions. So, what's your business here?" I looked to Nick as he spoke up, ""A young woman from the Commonwealth named Kasumi may have passed through here. Her family hired us to find her." He informed her, and Avery nodded slightly,

"Some sort of detectives, huh? Well, she came through, all right." I nodded slightly, "At least we know she made it this far."Hancock spoke up, and I nodded in agreement, "Something's coming through the Fog!" A woman shouted, and we all looked over, "You."She turned to us, "You all help us defend the town, and I'll answer any questions you have."We nodded, "Each of you can take a post at the top of the wall near the main gate."She told us, “"The Hull" never lets us down. Now follow me!” She said before running forward to lead us.

There were these strange creatures I'd never seen in the Common before, the first ones ,Gulpers, were named properly as they looked like giant tongues in all honesty, and the 'Anglers' looked like mutated angler fish on legs, and they were terrifying. After we killed them all off, Avery opened the gate for us and let us all in."And now you see what we're up against." Avery started as we approached, "The Fog and the creatures it spits out have taken the whole island from my people."She told us grimmly, "But for all of your help when we needed it, you deserve this."She spoke and handed me a small baggie of Caps, and I nodded,

"If you manage to survive despite all that, you must be tough" She said, "What's "The Fog"?"I asked, and she scoffed slightly, "Where to begin..? The Fog's radioactive, right?But there are pockets of it, the Deep Fog, that are hard fallout. And as deadly as that is, that's only part of the problem.Things live in the Fog. Thrive. You think what attacked the Harbor's bad? There's far worse further inland."She explained, "Impressive that you've all survived despite it all, you must be tough"

Before Avery could respond the man from before, Allen Lee, approached us, "I'm done cowering behind your damn Hull, Avery."He huffed, "Time you let me deal with the real problem."He growled slightly, "With the right people and my guns I can end those Children of Atom cultists for good." Avery glared slightly, "The Fog's been here forever. The Children didn't make it"She declared, "Before the rad eaters came, the Fog was under control. They come and it all goes wrong."He insisted, "It's time we do something!" Avery sighed before looking back to us,

"Allen. There is no need to burden the strangers with all this... nonsense."She said and he huffed angrily, "What's the deal with the Children of Atom?"I asked, and she sighed slightly, "They're religious folk. Worship the power of Atom. Which is... radiation, I guess? If you want details you'd have to find and ask them. We used to have a peace with them, until a certain hothead menace named Allen Lee-" "Now, that's enough. That preacher came into the Harbor saying that it was Atom's will that we lost our land.That it was Atom's god damn will that we lost so many friends and family. And that the Atom would wipe this whole place clean of us."He growled, and Avery glared at him,

"If it were up to me, you'd hang for what you did to that preacher, Allen."She stated, "Allen glared at her before he left, "What did he do to the preacher?" Grace muttered, and Avery sighed, "Allen pulled a gun on him. He claims the preacher reached for his.We don't have police. Or really any law. Just custom and popular sentiment. And after everything the preacher said, it was abundantly clear doing anything to Allen would've made matters worse." I tilted my head slightly,

“Have the 'Children' made the Fog worse?"She looked over to me, "Absolutely _not_. There's not one bit of evidence."She sighed, and Allen who, while he marched off, seemed to have stuck close by, decided to speak up, "Geiger counters don't lie, Avery. The Fog's gotten more lethal year over year.And now the Fog's covering the whole island. But only after the Children came."Avery sighed in annoyance, "You know as well as I do, that's happened before,Sure, people have theories the Children are involved. But no one - and I mean _no one_ \- has proof."She looked to Allen,

“I will do everything in my power to keep the peace here. So go, Allen.” I nodded slightly, "Right..Well, could we get back to business"I spoke as Allen finally, and really, walked off."Sorry for all... that."Avery spoke with a sigh, "You're here for Kasumi, right? She headed inland to the synth refuge, Acadia."Getting there will be dangerous. You'll need a guide: Old Longfellow.No one knows the Fog like him. But, word of warning, he's a bit of an acquired taste."

Acquired taste indeed, more like Oddfellow.. He reminded me a lot of my father, and kind of got on my nerves, I was grateful for him leading us here, but I wasn’t sad when he left either.. “Right, Let’s head in then,guys”I spoke as we walked towards the building. I lead everyone down the hall, and looked to the large open door, and could see a figure sitting in a chair, “You know, when I first climbed this mountain, above the fog, I thought to myself: now here is a metaphor worth taking in."A voice spoke as we entered the room, and looked up to a man.

He...He was something. He looked like a Gen 2 synth, but had tubes sticking out of his head, and he had wires coming out of his back,hooking him up to something behind him, "You've entered a place of clarity. Understanding. Peace. While you're here in Acadia, synth-kind welcomes you, as long as you welcome us.."He spoke, "We've come here looking for Kasumi Nakano."I spoke up, and he looked down at me from his position on the top of the stairs, what..was he a Synth prototype, like Nick?

"Really? I'm impressed.. Few would brave the kind of journey you've had for the sake of someone else."The man spoke, “We’re not like most people” I commented,and he nodded “"Kasumi is here. She's safe and unharmed, and you're free to see her, if you'd like."I nodded, "Just point us in the right direction." "Before you do, though, tell me: Do you think Kasumi is a synth?"I looked up at him confused,

"Who or what she is isn't important"I spoke, "But it is. It's everything. Imagine just looking at your own hands and having to wonder: ;Was I born with these, or were they manufactured?'"He spoke, "None of us take this transition lightly. She's facing the possibility of her entire life being a lie.That someone stripped her very identity from her and made her into something she isn't. I want you to understand that before you see her. She has a chance here to live as a synth. Not hiding. Not pretending to be something else."He looked into my eyes as he walked down the steps,"One more question, if you'll indulge me. You're here for Kasumi, but I suspect there could be another reason you came to us."He started, and I looked at him in confusion, "Tell me: Are _you_ a synth?"

I was taken aback by the question, _Me? A Synth..? I.._

"I've gotta be honest..In the back of my mind, I've always suspected that maybe..Maybe I am.."I told him, and I saw my friends glance over at me, "Sunshine..?" "That's what I thought. If you don't mind, what's the first thing you can remember?"I thought back on my life, things about my childhood were always..blurry. _The only memory I could honestly remember in total clarity.._

"I remember being in my house..The day the bombs fell. I was getting ready for the day with my husband.. Taking care of my baby boy.."I started as the images washed over me, "We ran to the Vault..And we were frozen.. I uh... I was the only survivor."I told him, "No memories before then? Just a single day, and then waking up alone?"I shook my head slightly, "Not clearly at least, like it's all...Fuzzy, background noise.."I spoke, "We so easily accept what's presented to us as the truth, don't we?"He said with a humorless chuckle, "Isn't it funny how a memory can feel like a whole different reality? People, places, even sounds and colors can change. Or someone else has changed them.I won't lie to you. There will always be other explanations. Trauma, disease, the background radiation. They all take their toll on the mind."He spoke, and looked to me,

"But I can promise you that we will accept you, no matter what you decide you are.."I nodded softly as I looked down, "Thank you.. You've given me a lot to think about."I muttered softly, and I saw him glance behind me, "Nick? It...It can't be..Is it really you?"He spoke, and we all looked to Nick, "What are you trying to pull? I've never seen you before in my life."Nick declared, "This all started over a century ago, when we were first created..."He started, "We were prototypes, Nick. The first synths capable of independent thinking and judgment."Nick looked at us slightly before looking back to him, "Keep talking.."

"One of the Institute's experiments had to do with how our brains could process personality. If we could handle individualized feelings and behaviors.I was allowed to develop mine based on experience. But with you..they wanted to try transferring an entire personality into you.It took several attempts before the personality imprint worked. I saw you wake up not knowing who or what you were so many times...I couldn't let them do it to you anymore. We were the only two prototypes they made. I literally saw myself in you..."

Well, there's no other way he could have known all that, Nick doesn't exactly tell everyone his story, "You were my brother, Nick. I helped you escape the Institute. We left together." "If I were your brother, I'd remember!"Nick said with sudden anger, "That's where you'd be wrong. This happened over a century ago. There's... there's only so much memory that can fit into the prototype brains we have-" "I've heard enough..."I looked over to Grace who had a solemn expression on her face. One day..We'd be gone, and eventually Nick would forget us..Forget her. It was obvious given that Nick forgot Mr.Nakano, and the prototype Synth before us..

"You were in there a long time... are you feeling all right?" A voice came, and we turned to a man as he entered the room, "I was having a hard enough time keeping up with repairs before all this nonsense with the Atom lunatics."The other man sighed, "They're nothing you need to be concerned about." "It's not them... I'm concerned about you, DiMA. You can't solve all the world's problems, certainly not all at once."So his name was DiMA, "Dearest Faraday... Relax. All will be fine."

I looked between the two and smiled slightly, C _ute_. They reminded me of Nick and Grace..

"I certainly hope that you'll consider helping us. DiMA's vision is worth fighting for."Faraday spoke as he turned to us, "You're right, it is a good cause. Synths definitely deserve to be safe, just like everyone else."I spoke, "It's so good to hear that. Very encouraging. Please make sure DiMA knows that as well."I nodded slightly,"He's put so much of himself into this..." He started, and I chuckled, "All his time and energy, devoted to helping others. He never stops to think of _himself_."

 _Nick and Grace for sure._  
  
"Sometimes I worry about... Well, if I wasn't here to make sure his equipment is all functional...And that's not even mentioning maintaining the fog condensers... So many things to keep track of."Faraday sighed, "Seems like he's lucky to have you."I smiled, and he returned it, "Thank you, that's very kind." He said before taking his leave, "I'm sure you're eager to talk to Kasumi. She's usually working down below."DiMA informed us, and we made our way to her.

All the way on the bottom floor I saw a young girl working she wore a green jumper, and had short cut cool brown hair, kneeled over she was working on what looked to be a generator if I had to guess.I looked over and approached her with Nick while Hancock and Grace waited at the door, “Kasumi Nakano?"I asked, and she stood, lookin us up and down "Yes, who are you? Are you new here?"She asked, "I'm a detective, my friends and I were hired to find you."Nick informed her,

"You... You're a what? You came all this way... for me?"She spoke, "Yes,Your parents sent us, they want you to come home."I told her, "Look, my mom and dad... I mean, those people that were taking care of me. They wouldn't want me back. Not if they knew the truth."I looked to Nick for a brief moment before we looked back to her, "you're not really their daughter. You're a synth."She nodded as she fiddled with a tool,

"Yeah... exactly..I thought if I just left it would be easier for them. How would that conversation have gone anyway?"She spoke up, ""I've been lying to you this whole time? Your real daughter is dead, and I replaced her?"" She sighed, "I know it must be hard for you. I just want to make sure you're here for the right reasons."She looked up at me, "Yeah, so am I... I mean... yes, I believe I'm a synth, but... there's something wrong here. With Acadia. There's more going on than just the refuge."She started in a lower tone, "I can't leave until I've gotten to the bottom of it. I've done enough running..."She muttered, and I looked to Nick again, "If something's going on, then we can help. Just tell us what's happening."Nick spoke,

"I don't know how you could... Wait... wait of course you can help!"She spoke with sudden enthusiasm, "You find things. Track down answers. That's what you do, right? That's why you came after me?"She asked, and we both nodded, "What if I told you that there's a secret. A big secret. Here on this island. Something way more important than just one lost girl?"I looked to Nick, "All right. We're listening." "Okay... Where to begin?"She muttered, "You saw all those computers that DiMA's hooked up to, right? They hold his memories or offload data from his brain. Maybe some combination of both?"She started,

"Well, Faraday asked me to help do some repairs on them. And, you know, I got curious. There's like a century's worth of life experiences in there.And that's when I see it."She looked off to the side slightly, "Data models DiMA has been making. One was the Fog taking over Far Harbor. Another was a nuclear detonation on the island. Plus death counts."She said looking back to us, girl may be on to something.. "What if DiMA is so open and welcoming because he's actually hiding something from us? A plan to wipe out the rest of the island?" Nick hummed slightly, "DiMA turning on Far Harbor. Now that would be cause for concern..." "We'll help if we can, but that's not much to go on."I spoke, "I know. I've been working on that, but I haven't had much luck."She sighed,

"I keep seeing DiMA, Faraday, and Chase head into the laboratory at the other end of the hall. Then they come out later, looking like they've been There's actually a storage space right next to there. It'd be a perfect spot to hide and eavesdrop, but it's been locked up.I've also tried breaking into Faraday's terminal, since he and DiMA are so close, but the security on it is crazy."I looked over to Nick slightly, "This'll be easier if I just talk to DiMA. Convince him that he needs to be honest with us."Kasumi nodded slightly "All right.. Good luck. Let me know what you find out"I nodded, "We'll figure this out. Just stay here."

After talking with everyone we decided that we weren’t going to ask DiMA, instead Grace and I would eavesdrop on the meeting Kasumi told us about, after we did so I went upstairs to confront DiMA with Nick while Grace and Hancock filled Kasumi in. As we approached DiMA stood, “Is there anything I can help you with?”He asked, “"I know you left behind some of your memories behind in an old submarine base. That you're worried the Children of Atom will get to them."I stated, and he became uneasy

"Well..You've been... busy. I was hoping you were taking your time learning more about us. Huh. I suppose you have...Maybe this is an opportunity for both of us. I can't send any of my people without risking the Children of Atom linking them back to..But you. You're new to the island."I looked to Nick slightly before nodding, "Alright, I'm listening" "Before I begin, how much do you know? Did you have any questions for me? About Far Harbor, the Children of Atom, or my memories?" I thought for a moment,

"The Children of Atom on this island. You were helping them?"He nodded slightly, "Yes. I know their faith in radiation as a type of god is a bit... different, but who am I to judge?I was using a submarine base as a home when Martin and his followers stumbled inside. They had been cast out of Far Harbor for their beliefs.When I left to found Acadia, I knew the base would be in safe hands. They needed a home. A place to belong, just like I did.But now Martin is gone, and his successor, Tektus, wants to finally end the feud with Far Harbor, by letting the Fog swallow them."I hummed slightly, "So what,You're keeping Far Harbor safe, is that it?"He sighed slightly,

"Not exactly. They're fiercely independent, but the Fog was starting to choke more and more of the island, so I proposed a trade.We would give them the technology to keep the Fog at bay, in return for them being a lifeline to the outside world. A safe dock and a place to buy supplies.Unfortunately, the Children of Atom view the radioactive fog as a holy portent, and their bloodied history with Far Harbor puts us at odds." I thought about other questions I had, "So..You left your memories behind? But...How does that work?"I asked,

"As a prototype synth, my... raw data capacity is _limited_. I began using computer banks to expand. To give me room to ponder. See new things.I had to leave some of my earliest memories behind when I left the sub base to the Children of Atom. I thought they were safe."I nodded slightly, "I know all I need to know now"He nodded slightly, "Then my plan is simple: Pose as a recruit and infiltrate the Children of Atom. Gain access to their base.In the old command center, guarded by some prewar security measures, you'll find my memory banks.I'll give you the program you need in order to access my memories. Bring me anything you find.It's not going to be like a normal hack. You'll be breaking through a version of my own mental network. It'll consider you to be an intruder.I've loaded the program with some instructions I've recorded that will help guide you through it. I'm afraid it's difficult to explain without seeing it for yourself."DiMA explained, and Faraday piped in, "I'm finishing up some tweaks to the program right now. I'll leave a copy of it for you on my desk when I'm done."I nodded,

"Get the program. Use it to break into the memory banks. Got it." "Hopefully you won't have to. We'll keep monitoring the situation. I only want you going in if we have no other choice.”I nodded before taking my leave with Nick to get the program, and fill everyone downstairs in. We entered the room and Kasumi stood from her seat on the couch with Grace, “Do you have a way in? Into his memories? Assuming you can get past the Children of Atom, of course..."She spoke, and I nodded slightly, "I got this program that Faraday and DiMA wrote. It's supposed to help me access the memory banks."I informed her, "Really? How would that work? When I was taking a peek in the computers he has here, DiMA was hooked up to his chair. I was just tapping into it."She looked away slightly in thought,

"I wonder if you'll need to, you know, connect to the old banks the way he does? Some kind of connection between your head and the computer"She looked back to us, "I'll bet that's it! And then Faraday's program would be translating DiMA's thoughts and data. Helping you through any security guarding it."She looked away slightly, "I'm sorry. I'm making assumptions. It's just..."She looked back slightly, smiling, "Well, it's a little exciting, isn't it?"I chuckled slightly, "You'll let me know what you find? I'll keep an eye on things here."She commented before going back to work.

We made our way to where the Children of Atom where to try and get to where DiMA's memories were kept. As we approached however there were two people outside, a man and a woman between a man with odd face paint on, "-One of you may return to the fold.The other... will return to Atom."He spoke to them, the man spoke up, "Richter, this is insane! You can't expect us to--"However he was cut off by the woman shooting him, and blasting him feet away. Well..That escalated quickly.. "Will there be anything else?"The man shook his head as he stepped aside "That'll be all,Sister"She nodded before walking forward, "Thank you, Grand Zealot."

 _Yeah..Can't wait to ask to come in.._  
  
"You."He started as he looked to us, "What are you doing here? Did Far Harbor send you?"He asked and Hancock shook his head, "It's okay. We're not from Far Harbor. We came from the Commonwealth."He glanced over us, "Hmm. Quite the journey. So, explain to me what you're doing here. You come seeking a place among Atom's children?"I looked to them before speaking up, "I'm interested in joining. Sign me up."I spoke up and he quirked an eyebrow, "Decisions of who may enter our family, we leave to Atom. You'll have to perform a ritual. Prove yourself worthy in His eyes."He informed,kooks..

"All right. I'll do what Atom requires."I spoke,and he nodded, "There is a small spring not far from here. Drink from it. Follow where it leads. You come back, we'll discuss what Atom shows you,and you joining the faithful."I have to drink from a spring? That's it?

Of course it was an irradiated spring.. “I think this may kill me..”I muttered, “Sunshine, you can’t drink this,I ain’t lettin’ you die”I shook my head slightly “I have to, he said something about what I’m going to be shown, I’ve gotta.. Nick can’t, he’s a synth, it won’t affect him, you’re a Ghoul so it may not affect you the same way as a human, and Grace sure as hell isn’t doing it.”I spoke and Grace glared over,

“Ellie, you’re gonna get yourself killed, “Yeah, well I’m used to putting my life on the line, I haven’t died yet, so”I turned to the small streamed waterfall and cupped my hands to gather water before gulping it down, there were shouts of protest as I let out coughs, gagging as it felt like I’d swallowed acid “Sunshine?!”Hancock’s voice echoed in the distance despite him being right beside me. “Marlow, you don’t look so good”Nick commented when I heard a whisper right behind me,

“Follow..”I whipped around but saw nothing, but looking up I saw the figure of a woman. She looked down at me and walked away “Wait!”I shouted and made my way around the spring,catching up to her. When I did I noticed a Gulper and shouted in surprise..but even more surprising..it didn’t attack me. It just..stood there staring. I turned to the woman who was waiting,looking back at me

“Come.”She spoke and I nodded slightly, following. She lead me down a road until we came to an ld building that looked sort of like a small factory “There..”She spoke and I looked over at it, walking forward, and passed Ferals that just lay there as I passed them,stopping in my tracks “She’s gonna be gone..Isn’t she”I muttered,turning around, and sure enough,she was gone. I walked into the building and my vision cleared, and I was in a room, I could hear gunshots from outside,and turned to a locked door, I could see Hancock,Nick,and Grace fighting the Ferals and looked back to the room. I had tripped the fuck out.

Where am I..I looked around and saw a sealed cage like office with a desk on it,in the center was a wooden carving of a woman, and for some reason I felt it necessary to get it. I went to the terminal but found it needed a password,I sighed in frustration,and leaned on the wall. Somehow I had gotten locked in the room from the outside and couldn’t get out until everyone was done fighting, I looked to my side and saw what looked atomic elements...  
  
 _Mozzarella, Thorium, Erbium_

"MoThEr?"I read out loud, "Could that..Be the password?"I muttered and looked up,worth a shot. Sure enough it worked, and I got in,grabbing the carving as I did Hancock came in, “Why’d you lock us out,Sunshine”He spoke as he grabbed me,pulling me into a hug, “I didn’t...it was..”I trailed off as I saw the lock now on this side of the door..What the hell. “I think whatever I saw was supposed to lead me to this”I spoke as I held up the carving. “Weird..But alright, let’s take it to the crazies”Hancock said and I nodded.

"Hmph. You're back.. More than I expected. Did Atom reveal something to you?"I nodded slightly, "I think so..I drank from the spring and a woman led me to this icon. Does this mean something?"I asked as I held out the carving, And he looked shocked, "A woman? Led you to that icon? What woman? What did you see?"I nodded slightly, "It was... otherworldly. The woman, she was like a living shadow, cloaked in mist."I spoke honestly, "Atom above.. You really did see her. The Mother of the Fog."He spoke in awe,and I looked at him confused

"The Mother is a messenger from Atom. Acts as a guide to those important to His plans and the future of this family.She's the one who led the first of us to this place. And if she revealed herself to you... then I'd say the path He's lain for you is clear.If you are prepared to take the next step, then I believe there is a place for you among Atom's children."I nodded slightly. Finally, I was gonna be pissed if he didn't let me in after that wild rad-trip I just went on, “I am ready to follow His path.”

Nick managed to figure everything out being the hacker and all, and he managed to get everything loaded onto holotapes so we could listen to them on my Pip-Boy as he worked. He handed me the first tape and I entered it into the slot, a robotic female voice came on _“Memory file identification: 0V-9AX0. Converted to audio transcription. Beginning playback.”_ It spoke before DiMA’s voice came through,

 _“Things are not going well with Far Harbor. Several of my people have been assaulted, spat at, interrogated for no reason. This is getting out of control, but there's still a chance they can learn to trust us. We just need one of their own who's on our side. I can't let anyone know what I'm about to do. I'll need to set up the equipment far away from Acadia. It'll double as a place to bury the evidence..”_ His voice spoke and I looked up at Grace as the system voice chimed in again,

” _Additional location data appended. A makeshift medical facility underneath the Vim! Pop Factory. Coordinates downloaded._ ”It spoke and shifted to my map showing the new marker, “What did he mean by that? What is he burying?”Grace muttered, voicing her thoughts. “I’m not sure, but I’ve got the next one ready for you gals”Nick spoke as he handed us the next one, and I took out the first, replacing it. “ _Memory file identification: 0J-2NN8. Converted to audio transcription. Beginning playback_.”The system voice spoke,

“ _I'm offloading this memory. I cannot bear lying to Confessor Martin and his Children of Atom any longer. Better to just forget. I found it. The location of the launch key to fire the nuclear missile inside the submarine. Confessor Martin believes it can bring his people into Division. Destruction at the hands of an atomic blast. He struggles with how literal his interpretation of that precept should be. I can't risk him deciding to find the key and use it. His people were the first to... accept me for what I am. The thought of them being gone fills me with nothing but pain._ ”There was a nuclear missile here? At least he decided to hide it, not use it..” _Additional data appended. Location: The Harbor Grand Hotel Safe Room. Keycode: 485130._ ”The system voice informed and Grace wrote it down as I put in tape 3 when Nick handed it to me.

_Memory file identification: 0H-3X0P. Converted to audio transcription. Beginning playback._

DiMA: _“I've made a contingency plan in case Far Harbor discovers the truth, or gives in to their xenophobia despite all my efforts. I've isolated the wind turbine powering Far Harbor's Fog Condensers. A kill switch command will leave them defenseless from the Fog and its creatures. But now that's it done, am I really capable of this? This... massacre, that I've engineered... I'm going to remove the command code from my memories. I'll bury a hardcopy if I need to use it, but I can't keep it close to me. It makes me sick…”Jesus DiMA.. System Voice: “Additional location data appended. Coordinates to the Kill Switch Command Code and the Wind Farm Maintenance Building.”_

 _“Memory file identification: 0Z-7A4K. Converted to audio transcription. Beginning playback.”_ The System voice chimed before a familiar voice shouted,

“ _Get away from me! What the hell are you?_ ”Nick’s voice shouted from the Pip-Boy and we all glanced over at him in confusion, but he seemed just as shocked as us,” _It's me! We escaped the Institute together. You're my brother!_ ”DiMA’s voice spoke,” _I don't have a brother! The name's Nick Valentine, and no one in my family tree is a plastic-skinned freak!_ ”Nick responded sharply,” _You're just confused, let me help…_ ”DiMA spoke gentl,and there were sounds of struggling, “ _Stay away from me!_ ”Nick shouted and he sounds of punching, fist fighting could be heard “ _I don't want to hurt you!_ ”DiMA shouted but it was followed by more sounds of punching, then someone falling, then sounds of pummeling,and heavy breathing “ _Goodbye... Brother…_ ”DiMA’s voice spoke sadly.

“ _End playback._ ”The system voice chimed.

“So he  _wasn't_  lying..”I muttered as I looked to Nick, "God... DiMA really did help me escape the Institute? I wasn't just tossed out with the garbage?"Nick spoke, "Nick shouted in fr"I must've still been in a haze from one of the Institute's experiments on me. Did I really attack him? Did he really knock the daylights out of me and leave me for dead?"He spoke,

" _Dammit_! Why can't I remember?!"He shouted and I stepped forward, "Woah,Hey,Take it easy, Valentine.. People forget things."I said as I rubbed his arm slightly, "Especially after something traumatic like what happened between you and DiMA."Grace spoke and he sighed as he pulled her into a gentle hug "Yeah... yeah, you're right..."He sighed as he messed with Grace's hair slightly to calm himself, "Well, I wanted proof DiMA and I had history, and I got it... Now I just gotta figure out what to do..."He spoke as he pulled away from Grace and sat back down, "Should I give him a chance? Try to accept him as my brother? He might just be the only other prototype synth that.."

"I think you'd regret it if you didn't try to get to know him better."Grace spoke gently and he nodded, "You're right. Maybe next time we swing by Acadia, I'll try to be a little nicer to the old synth. Try to make up for lost time..."He said before turning back to the terminal, "But before that..We need to do more research..Find out if we can even trust this guy" I nodded in agreement as we waited for him to get into the last memory. “We need to get to all of these locations discovered, after this we should split up to make it easier.”Hancock looked over “No on our own though, some of these places would be too much for just one of us”He spoke, “Alright,that’s best I suppose.” I looked over as Nick handed me the tape, “Alright, last one and we can move out..”I nodded and put the tape in.

“ _Memory file identification: 0Y-8K7D. Converted to audio transcription. Beginning playback._ ”

DiMA: “ _I've discovered a curious record inside the prewar data files of this submarine base. The marines here were equipped with an advanced model of combat armor. There are several suits already in the base, in various states of deterioration. But there were more shipments of the armor on its way to the base, the day the bombs fell. They could be in prime condition if the sealants have held. I have no use for them, but you never know. Maybe they'll be worth digging up one day…_ ”

“ _Additional data appended. "Armor Shipments Tracking Information." Coordinates downloaded._ ” I clicked over to my Pip-Boy to look at the last location. “Alright..We need a plan if we’re going to split up, it won’t be easy for us to find our way without the map.. I have my Pip-Boy but I haven’t exactly seen anyone around here handing maps out of this place.”I commented, “Well, What about Alex’s? He’s a Vault dweller too, he agreed to stay behind in Sanctuary with Shaun, Maybe he will lend it to us?”Grace offered, and I nodded slightly, “That could work.. Yeah, I’ll use a relay to go there, and come back. You guys want to meet in Far Harbor? Get supplies while I go”Grace nodded, “Fine by me”Nick and Hancock nodded in agreement, “Alright, here take a relay”I said handing it to Grace, “I’ll be back in a bit” I said before getting out my own relay.  
  
  
“I dunno, Kid, I’m pretty attached to this guy..” I sighed slightly, “Trust me, I understand, Alex, but we need it, Kasumi is right, something else is going on there. If we don’t help, she won’t come home to her parents, and I promised we would bring her back, you know how I feel about promises.” Alex sighed and nodded, “Fine, fine. We’ve got new settlers so I’ll be occupied here anyways. One of the guys here seems kind of sketchy. He looks awful familiar too,” He commented, and I furrowed my brows slightly,

“You don’t think he’s gonna cause trouble, do you?” Alex shook his head, “We got a whole settlement on our side, we’ll be fine.”I nodded slightly and smiled as Shaun peered out of the hallway, “Hey, Sweetie”I said, and Shaun came over, “Hey, Mom, Are you back already?”I shook my head as I looked down at him, “Afraid not, I think this case could take another day or two”He frowned slightly, “Oh..”I smiled,

“Sorry, kiddo..I promise when I get back it’s just me and you”I smiled, he returned it and hugged me around the waist. “It better be”He huffed in a mock of attitude and I chuckled. “Alright, you can have my Pip-Boy, but don’t lose or break the thing. It’s my life”I chuckled, nodding as I took it. “Thanks, Alex”I looked down to Shaun who pulled away, “How’s everything been, kiddo?”I asked and he smiled slightly, “Pretty good, Alex let us have another Christmas here”I quirked a brow, “Oh did he?”I asked as I looked up, and Alex chuckled sheepishly,

“What can I say, I’m the cool uncle. Shaun here was pretty down about you being gone,”He started, leaning on Shaun’s head with his elbow and he looked up with his bright hazel green eyes chuckling, “I was not..” Alex rolled his eyes, “Okay, sure, Kid. Anyways, I thought he’d like it if we had another Christmas since the first was such a hit”I chuckled at this, “Don’t worry, grown up drinks were served after he went off to bed. Oh, by the way!”He said as he looked to Shaun,

“Why don't you show your mom what you got.” Shaun perked up at this and agreed, running off to his room and I chuckled softly as we waited, he came back with a baseball cap on, holding a bat and ball. “Uncle Alex got this, and has been teaching me how to play” He smiled, I chuckled, and smiled as he talked about baseball. I remembered Nate, he was a huge baseball fan, never missed a game..

Shaun reminded me so much of Nate, baseball loving little nerd with a room littered in old comics. I gave a soft chuckle to myself as him and Alex talked about it enthusiastically.  Alex sliding the cap on Shaun’s head backwards, telling him it was ‘cooler this way’ and Shaun listening. The look in Shaun’s eye showed that he looked up to Alex, and I imagine that’s what he would have looked at Nate, had we got to be a family. “Mom? Are you okay?”Shaun asked and Alex looked to me, “Jesus, El, It’s just baseball, no need to cry about it”Alex chuckled softly, and I shook my head, wiping the tears,

“No, no..Sorry, it’s just..”I smiled as I looked to Shaun, “You’re just the person I wanted you to be”I smiled, and Shaun looked a little embarrassed “Mom..”I chuckled. “I wanted to give you something for Christmas, by the way, but I had forgotten it here.”I said as I set my bag down with Alex’s Pip-Boy. “Stay here”I spoke before going into my old room, to our safe, opening it I pulled out Nate’s dog tags.

“I know you didn’t know him, but you dad alway talked about giving these to you when you were older. In my time, he was going to give them to you when you graduated from college, but”I chuckled,  
“I think Christmas works just as well”I said, and let Shaun put them on, he smiled, and hugged me again, “Thanks, Mom”I smiled, and hugged back. “Alright, I should head back, everyone is waiting for me.” Alex nodded as Shaun stepped to him, “Careful out there, Kid” “Yeah, careful, Mom. I love you”I smiled, “I love you, too, Shaun.”

We talked to people around Far Harbor to get an idea of what we would encounter, the hotel, and the Vim factory were overrun by super muts, where the Nuclear launch key was was out in the middle of nowhere mostly with what people here called ‘Trappers’, who were essentially Raiders, but it wouldn’t be too difficult, and DiMA’s cache was all the way across the island, it was where the wind turbine kill switch was, Nick and Grace offered to go, they took the cache, we took the hotel, and the factory. The hotel was swarmed, we managed to sneak passed most of them, and the hidden room was through a hole in the wall they couldn’t fit through, and it made it much easier to get what we need, afterwards we broke a window and climbed down the balconies.

The key was on a boat, and we managed to get it, and it happens the boat was near the factory, a little passed it in fact, we decided to go to the boat first, and head over afterwards. Inside the factory it was much easier to sneak around, and only kill the super muts when we needed. We got to an elevator that took us to the ground floor. We found what looked like a destroyed part of the ground as the cement had broken in, looking to Hancock he nodded, definitely where the body was buried. There was a skeleton, and around it’s neck was a locket, I picked it up and examined it before putting it in my pocket and picking up the holotape beside the body.

"Is it... is it going to be painful?"A woman's voice spoke, "Yes..."DiMA's voice started, "It's going to be like having everything you are ripped out and replaced with something else... Someone else." Jesus.. "I'm ready. I just... wish I could say goodbye to everyone."She spoke sadly, "No one else can know. This isn't just about infiltrating Far Harbor. It's about becoming the human that synths drawn here need to meet. Reasonable, willing to accept them as just another living thing. No greater or lesser than humanity itself.You'll be part of the bridge between our two worlds. That all vanishes the moment anyone discovers that it's been manufactured. That you're a synth."

I looked to Hancock briefly before I looked to the skeleton in the grave, "Did she have to die? The woman I'm replacing? God... She looks so peaceful lying there..."DiMA let out a soft sigh ad talked in a gentle, comforting voice, "Don't. Please. That blood is on my hands. Not yours..." I looked to Hancock as the tape ended. Who did DiMA replace..

"DiMA."I spoke as I walked up to him, he glanced over to me and stood from his seat, "Yes, What is it?"I sighed slightly, "Your memories lead me to a gravesite. You killed and replaced Captain Avery with a Synth to control Far Harbor."I told him, "What? That's impossible. Let me see what you found..."I handed him the holotape and he inserted it into his brain, a whirring sound of him scanning it into his mind I suppose came through the silence. "I... I did it."He muttered, "I killed a woman from Far Harbor and replaced her. I stripped a synth's identity from her and made her an agent."He muttered out loud, "You're a fraud.."I muttered softly in return, "Maybe you're right..."He trailed off, "The compromises I've made... All without even knowing..." "You're expecting' us to feel sorry for you? That's not happenin'."Hancock spoke,

"I'm... starting to see things more clearly. We have to keep this secret from Far Harbor."DiMA started, "If they knew I had done this, they wouldn't destroy just me. They'd come after Acadia."From what I've seen of people in Far Harbor, I could see them doing just that.. These Synths don't deserve to lose their life because of DiMA's mistakes, "And then without us, the Fog Condensers will eventually fall into disrepair. Everyone will die..I... have an idea. There's still a way we can bring peace. But the fact that I've replaced a human with a synth must remain hidden."Hancock stepped forward, ready to tell DiMA where he could shove his plan more than likely, but I held my arm out slightly, "Hancock..No"He looked shocked, "Sunshine, you can't be serious."

I shook my head, "Of course I don't think this is right, what DiMA did was wrong"I said glancing to him , "But DiMA's right, the people of Far Harbor would come after Acadia, and if they do all of the innocent Synths could be killed. They deserve their freedom, and don't deserve to lose it because of his mistakes."I explained and looked back to DiMA, "As horrifying as it might be to suggest, this memory you've recovered has... given us a new option."He started, "If Far Harbor could be made more... tranquil... by our intervention, then perhaps the same trick will work twice, on the Children of Atom.We could replace High Confessor Tektus with someone willing to forgive Far Harbor and work towards reconciling."I furrowed my brows,

"There has to be another way."I muttered, "We could make things right" I offered, "None that I can see. The authority of the High Confessor is absolute. The Children of Atom won't see the need for peace unless he... changes his mind."I thought for a moment before nodding, "If it means peace for the island... all right. Tell me the plan." "Sunshine.."Hancock spoke in a warning tone, "Hancock..This is the best option for peace. If we turn him in, tell Far Harbor, they will likely kill all these Synths.”I muttered, “I have to agree with her on this, Mayor. I’m a Synth myself, and the way I see it, they’re like the people of Diamond City.. They put up with me, but I know if given a reason, they’d kill me without hesitation.”Nick added, and I nodded slightly. "

I destroyed the Institute to free them. This.. This is the same thing. All those people in the Institute didn't deserve to die. There were children in there. But we did it to free them..This is how we free these people."Hancock sighed, and I turned to DiMA who looked shocked, "What? It's over? The Institute is.. No more Courser hunts? No more slavery?"I shook my head slightly, "We fought, and blew up the Institute."I informed him, "But that also means the technology to make the synths is lost. Our origins have been buried. Not to mention, the loss of human life.."I looked at him and he sighed slightly, "Of course, I can not judge these actions with what I have done. You all have wiped out a great evil. For that, and if you are willing to do this for me..for us. You have our gratitude."I nodded slightly,

"This will be difficult for both of us, but I think it's our only option.I'll need you to leverage your access to the High Confessor and lure him to a secluded location."I looked up at him, "Do we have to kill the High Confessor?" "It would be the most reliable way of dealing with him. But any method that removes Tektus from power indefinitely should work.I'll need you to leverage your access to the High Confessor and lure him to a secluded location.You should be able to find a spot in the bay's old Command Center where you can deal with him discreetly and hide the remains.Once your work is done, return here, and the replacement will move in and take command."I sighed slightly,

"Are you sure the Children will stand down if this replacement tells them to?" "Dissent may arise, but the Children have seen what happens to those who speak out.Our replacement will leverage that fear to serve the greater good."I sighed slightly as I looked down with a nod, "Okay.."I started, "I'll do it."I could hear a slight sigh of disapproval from Hancock, "Any ideas on how I can get him alone?"I asked,

"Tektus lives in fear of being usurped by his predecessor Martin, despite that in all likelihood, Martin is dead.But if you somehow uncovered evidence of Martin's imminent return, I expect Tektus would be interested hearing all you know... in private.All we have to do is manufacture Martin's uprising. To do so, I'll need raw material. Martin recorded many of our conversations. Those in the Nucleus have certainly been destroyed, but I built a small refuge for Martin many years ago when he needed respite... from the family.Go there and collect any tapes you can find. I'll begin work on our replacement.And here. I want you to have this as well. For what you've done for us."He spoke, handing me a bag of Caps and I turned to everyone,

“I’m sorry, Hancock”I muttered slightly, “No, you’re right, Sunshine. This is for the best, but killing a man and replacing him.. Well it just feels a little too.. Institute for me.”I nodded slightly, “But it really is for the best”I commented,looking to Nick and Grace, “Right?”They nodded in agreement and I let out a slight sigh of relief. “Let’s do this then.”

Convincing Tektus wasn’t difficult with the altered holotape we gave him, however he did suspect I was lying, and we ended up having to kill two children of Atom along with him.. DiMA created a convincing replacement, and the Children listened. For everything we did for them, DiMA paid us a whopping 2000 Caps. "So it sounds like there's going to be peace on the island."Kasumi started as we entered the room, "It was you, wasn't it? You found a way to fix things."I smiled slightly, "It was the right thing to do." She smiled softly,

"Can't believe people like you actually exist.."She chuckled slightly, "Part of the reason I didn't trust DiMA was because he seemed too selfless, but you're just like him.."I smiled softly, "Hey, listen.."She started, "So.. when you first showed up, you came to get me.. To bring me home. I've been thinking a lot about that..."She looked up at me, "I hurt Kenji and Rei by leaving, didn't I? I could've just stayed home, pretended everything was all right, but I left them..Should I go back..?"She trailed off slightly as she looked away,

"They obviously still care about me... or who they think I am... They need a daughter. They deserve to have one..."She nodded slightly, "Everything in Acadia has been... settled. I found my answers. Maybe it's time I did something for someone else."I smiled slightly, "You're right, Kasumi. They need you."I nodded slightly, "Go home"She nodded, "I will... I'll start gathering my supplies and I'll have to say goodbye to everyone...Thanks. For everything.. Maybe I'll see you back in the Commonwealth?" I smiled, "Of course. I took your grandfather's boat here, meet us in Far Harbor when you're ready."I smiled, and she nodded as she left.  
  
  
"Now, everyone. Quiet. Quiet."Avery's voice called as we approached town, everyone was gathered around the center of town, and we joined them, "High Confessor Tektus, the leader of the Children of Atom, has made a formal peace with us."She announced, "And you believe him?"Allen spoke in a unconvinced tone, and Avery glared slightly, "I do. He..He said it was a vision from Atom."She started, "And if you know anything about them, you know how serious that is." "But those missionaries of his..."A man spoke up, "They won't be a problem, he's keeping them clear of Far Harbor. No more preachers coming." The same man looked to Allen,

"So they just going to forgive what Allen's done?"He asked, "Their, well, God commanded them to let that go. So, yeah, I think they've forgiven us.So they'll stay on their part of the island, and we'll stay on ours."She announced, "That's all."She said and everyone took their leave in chatter, as they did I turned to Hancock and noticed Kasumi approaching with her thing and I smiled, "Alright, you ready to go kid?"She nodded,

"Yeah..Let's go home"

"Can't believe I'm back. I'm so nervous..."Kasumi spoke as the boat stopped, "You've got this kid, go see your parents"Kasumi looked at me as I gave a gentle smile, and she nodded, stepping onto the dock, and walking up to the home, "Mom.... Dad... I'm... I'm home!"She called as we trailed behind her, "Kasumi?!"Her mother's voice called as she walked inside, I leaned against the doorway with a smile while Hancock leaned on the wall, Nick and Grace standing just outside the door behind me, "Welcome back home, Kasumi."Her father greeted with tears in his eyes,

"It's good to be home."She smiled, and allowed herself to be pulled into a group hug. "You."Kenji started as he pulled out of the hug while Rei continued to hold her daughter, "You saved my daughter. Thank you."I smiled, "I was happy to do it,Kenji. I'm just glad I was able to do this for you"Kenji gave a soft smile, "You don't often see kindness in the Commonwealth. I'll never forget this."I smiled, "If any of you ever need help again, you know where to find us."Hancock commented, and Kenji smiled gratefully. Rei pulled away from the hug but held her daughter's arms gently,

"Kasumi, does this mean... You know we're your parents, right? You're not a synth."She spoke, and Kasumi nodded, "I know, mom. I'm sorry. I was just so... confused. I wanted to go somewhere.. Anywhere."She muttered, and Kenji shook his head, "It's okay, Kasumi. You're home now."

"Hold on to her, Kenji. You never know when your family is going to be taken from you.."I commented, "I'm glad you understand. It's a terrible world out there... We only have each other."He responded and I gave a slight nod, "There's one last thing you and I need to discuss. Your reward for bringing my daughter home safely."He started, "We don't have much to offer, but my father traveled the Commonwealth. He had quite a collection before he died."I buried it all near the house. I'm not the explorer he was. I don't need them. I think they would be better with you."I shook my head slightly, "There's no need,Kenji. Your happiness is payment enough"He shook his head, "All the more reason to pay you"I smiled slightly, "It's really not necessary, but thank you, Kenji"He sighed slightly but smiled, "You are a good person. The Commonwealth could use more people like you.."  
  
  
We stopped by Diamond City to drop Nick, and Grace off, as well as update Ellie on how the case went. We had a few drinks and slept the trip off at the Dugout Inn, and I wanted to check in on everyone at the Red Rocket settlement. I helped around before we started making the trip back to Sanctuary. “Alright, I’ve got one. So a Ghoul walks into a bar."He starts and I chuckle softly, "Bartender says, "We don't serve Ghouls here." Ghoul says, "That's fine. Is the human fresh?""I laughed, "My goodness, Hancock"I chuckled, he smiled gently as he looked at me before he stretched, "Alright, your turn, Sunshine, think you can do better?”He grinned, "Okay"I chuckle,

"Gimme a minute.."I trailed off into thought, and he chuckled, I shoved him slightly while smiling, "Oh, got it. Okay, What kind of guys have the _least_ stamina in bed?"I asked, and he hummed while smiling, " _Minutemen_ "He looked over at me a chuckled, "Good one, Sunshine"I smiled, "I try"I smiled, looking ahead as we approached Sanctuary, when I saw what looked like a rope hanging off the bridge, That’s odd, what was that for? I looked to Hancock as we approached, and he looked just as confused as me, whatever it was was blocked by the hill and bridge, I carefully shuffled down the hill to the bank of the water when I noticed the water was red..

“Oh my god, Sunshine..”Hancock trailed off and grabbed me, covering my eyes, I struggled under his grasp, “Hancock, What the hell?”I demanded as I managed to pull his hand off enough to see what it was.. I saw red, there was blood everywhere.. The rope was attached to a mangled body as if they had been tortured..The body was small, there were cuts and bruises all over, their clothes soaked in blood, a once navy and white striped shirt was now red, dog tags hung from the neck, and a red baseball cap was in the water near the other side of the water…

I felt the entire world disappear from under me as Hancock recovered my eyes while I screamed, dread flooded my entire body as I walked, my knees went weak and he lowered me down gently, pulling me into his chest as I screamed, there were sounds of rapidly approaching footsteps followed by more screams of the settlers before everything went black..  
  
  
“We’re gonna have to get Nick and Grace, they could help investigate everything.. I don’t know who would do this.”Alex’s voice came from the living room, I was laying in Shaun’s old room, curled up on his bed as I held his baby rattle to my chest, staring at the dog tags in my hand. “That’s probably a good idea, the more people we have working on this, the better.”Hancock’s voice commented. “What should we do about, El?”Alex sighed slightly, “I don’t think she’s going to be getting out of bed anytime soon..”Hancock muttered, “I’m going to head of over to Diamond City to get Nick and Grace, you keep an eye out for her.”Hancock spoke before everything went quiet in the house as he left.

“Well, this obviously wasn’t any random killing.. Though I don’t see any reason why someone would do this to Shaun, he’s just a kid.”Nick’s voice spoke from the living room, it was later in the evening, and Shaun’s room was dark when I opened my eyes slowly, listening to everyone in the house.

“Whatever the reason is, we’ll find out, but first we should talk to the settlers, see if anything out of the ordinary has been happening lately..”Grace commented, and I thought back to what Alex told me before, about the new settlers.. I shot up and walked into the living room, “Oh, Ellie, what are you-” “Alex, Who was that guy who you said was acting weird before I left”Alex looked over at me, “Uh, Rex I think, why? You think he’s got somethin’ to do with this?”I looked down at the rattle in my hand, “It could be a start.. When did you see him last?”Alex thought for a moment, “I’m not sure, I haven’t seen him around today”I looked to Nick who nodded slightly, “Where’s this guy stay?" “Well, he stays in the yellow house like every other adult, but he tends to hang out in the bar area of the trade center”Nick nodded, “Let’s ask around there”I walked forward and Nick turned to me,

“Marlow, maybe you should sit this one out, I don’t-” “I need to do this, Valentine. He was my son. I need answers.”Nick sighed, nodding, “Put on a coat” I nodded slightly as I took it off the coat rack by the front door before heading out while pulling on the black trench coat.

No one has seen this Rex since what happened with Shaun, some think he skipped out because he was scared, others didn’t notice his absence, he’d only been there for two weeks and only had a few friends, mostly kept to himself. No one knew where he went, or at least that’s what they said, but the friends he did make had to know something. “Come on, Lila.. I just want to know what happened to my boy. You were this guys friend, you gotta know something.”I insisted, “Look, General, If I knew anything, I promise I would tell you, Shaun was a good kid, I don’t know why anyone wou-”

"Damnit Lila. You have to know something!”I shouted as I stood from the table, knocking my chair over, everyone stared at me in the trade center, We had built it after taking out all the scrap of a dilapidated old house, there were trading posts set up around the perminator of the building, and in the center we had old mismatched tables and chairs set up for people to eat, and drink at while they winded down, “Marlow.”Nick spoke in a warning tone, and I reached across the table, grabbing Lila by the collar of her flannel, “Eleanor, Please.”She muttered, “You have to know something”I insisted, and she shook slightly, “Look, anything I know about Rex don’t mean a thing, plea-” “What _do_ you know.”She sighed shakily, “Okay..Look, Rex wasn’t...Well, he didn’t trust you, cause he knew you had worked with the Railroad.. He said he was only here cause he didn’t have no place else to go, alright..”I let her collar go as a thought dawned on me..

“Who told Rex.”I muttered as I looked around, only very few people knew Shaun was a Synth, not even Shaun himself knew, I hadn’t told him yet.. Only Nick, Grace, Hancock, Alex, Preston, and the people at the Railroad knew.. I had some Synth settlers, Railroad would send escapees to us for homes. We had two Synths in Sanctuary at this moment. I walked out of the trade center and went to the sleeping quarters, it was near the bridge, we’d set up two houses full of beds, one for adults, and one for children, the rest of the homes used for various things, trade, actual homes for full families who bought them, there were only two residential homes, and the other was used as a restaurant and clinic. I opened the door and felt an arm grab me, I turned to Nick,

“Marlow, what you just pulled with Lila..I really think you need to sit this out, Doll.”I glared slightly up at him, “No way, Valentine, I’m getting answers.”I said and yanked my arm away, “Lila wasn’t gonna tell me unless she took me seriously, and no one here is afraid of me.. Well they should be, because I will stop at nothing to get these answers.”I declared and walked to the back where a woman named Regina who I helped escape slept, she looked up at me closing a book, “Oh, Eleanor, what-” “Did you tell anyone Shaun was a Synth.” She looked confused, “No, of course not, you told us to keep it secret”I sighed in frustration, “Do you know where Mark is?”She shook her head, “No, I haven’t-”I walked away and heard Nick apologize to her.

“Sunshine, you need to slow down”Hancock called as I marched down the road, "Damn it,Seriously. Stop.”He grabbed my arm once he caught up with me, and I stumbled back as he did so, "Sunshine, I hate to be that Ghoul, but we need to talk."I looked back at him sharply, "What, _now_?"He sighed, "Yes, **_now_**."He declared, and I stepped back to yank my arm away and face him, "Then talk." "I plan too.Now look. I know you're angry, and for good reason in wanting to find who did this to your son..but I didn't expect to be having this conversation with you of all people, but lately, lately I just ain't pleased with how things have been going. You've hurt innocent settlers in order to get the info you need, you beat Mark to a near pulp and it ain't right. Seems like you've lost your way a bit.. And I'm not just gonna stand here while that happens."I scoffed slightly,

"We'll you're gonna have to Hancock, because I am _not_ stopping."I told him and he let in a deep breath, "Sunshine..do us both a favor and bring back the only person I ever trusted to cover me and we get things back the way they were..You aren't this person, we can get answers without you turning into someone you're not" "This is who I am, Hancock. I'm hurt. and lost. and afraid, but more than that I am _livid_. This Rex person took my son in his sleep. Tortured, and killed him. All for what? Because he’s a _Synth_? **I don't fucking know.** And I am going to get answers the only way that _actually_ works." I glared, and he shook his head,

"I ain't ready to give up on a good thing we’ve got just yet. I ain’t giving up on you, Sunshine. You've gotta listen to me though.. You _need_ to stop. You're strong, you can do this." "Strong?"I laughed, "I am not strong. I am _weak_. I am a terrible mother, and a terrible leader." Hancock frowned, "Don't say that, you're an amazing leader, you built this place up from the ground, things have gotten so much better since you fell out of that Vault"I laughed, "For everyone else maybe. But what about me?! I have lost my husband. My son. I was lied to by my manipulative sociopath of a grandson. And now I've lost the only family I had left. I lost my baby boy. He was murdered in cold blood, and I intend on finding out why, and by who. With, or _without_ you."I glared,

"Sunshine.." "Don't Sunshine me, I am doing this. You can't stop me."Hancock sighed, "Sunshine, we need you. I need you. I can be your family. We are your family. You can depend on us, and I don't plan on stopping you from finding this bastard. But baby, you need to remember who you are. You need to stop this shit and come back to us as the woman we know."I scoffed slightly as I wiped tears out of my eyes, " _This_."I started as I held my arms out to gesture at myself, "This is me. I am a terrible person, I will kill for these answers if I need to, John. If it were me on that bridge, you know you'd do the same."His jaw clenched tightly at that, "I am no leader. _Nothing_ has qualified me. Even with everything I've done over this year, it was all to make friends so that I could find Shaun. And after all of this bullshit. He was fucking _murdered_. I don't care what people think of me anymore. They can find a new damn leader, because me? I am no leader, I can't protect the _Commonwealth_. I couldn't even protect _my own damn son_ , John."I clenched my jaw as I felt more tears sting my eyes looking down as Hancock looked at me sadly. "So..Just. _Stop_. I am _done_."I said before walking away from him before he could protest.  
  
  
Rex was seen around Diamond City, and was thought to have stayed at the Dugout Inn, so we headed over there, Hancock and Nick kept getting in my way, and tried to keep me from finding answers, but I refused to step down. After talking to Vadim, he confirmed that Rex was staying here. When I told him about Shaun he told me the room number, he was in room 3 in the very back. I pounded on the door till a man came to the door, he was wearing a plain outfit, had messy brown hair, and hazel blue eyes, scar across his right eye to his nose, it was him, “Rex.”I spoke and he nodded slightly, and I stepped closer to him,“I’m Eleanor, you know me, you lived in Sanctuary for a bit. Funny how you disappeared after I found my son. _Dead_.”Fear swam in his eyes as he tried to slam the door, I stuck my arm through as he did so causing him to slam it on me, pain rippled through it but I ignored it and rammed into the door, knocking him back. “Why the hell did you kill my son”I growled, “I didn’t, I didn’t, I swear, please!”I glared down at him,

“Eleanor, stand down. we need _answers_ , **not** for you to beat someone else near death” “Oh, I’m gonna do more than that.”I growled and Nick sighed, “I didn’t want to have to do this”He spoke and before I could turn back I heard a metallic click, and Nick pinned my arm behind my back as I struggled to get away from him and heard another metallic clicking. “Did..Did you just _cuff_ _me_?!”I shouted, “Yes, now sit down.”Nick glared slightly,I let out a schreek of frustration and walked to the other side of the room,kicking the wall in anger. “Or pout in the damn corner, just calm the hell down.”Nick spoke in anger and pulled Rex up, sitting him on the bed,

“Look, my partner here is ready to beat the daylights out of ya, but we need answers, so we’ve got her held back. For now. So, you better start talkin’ bucko” I leaned against the wall with a huff of anger, blowing the loose strands of my hair out of my face as I glared at Rex who looked away from me to Nick, “Look, I didn’t kill the kid, honest.. I knew Eleanor worked with the Railroad.. She destroyed the Institute to free the Synths.. But a place like the Institute? There ain’t _no way_ they don’t got a back up plan… All the Synths are just spies, they’re all going to turn on us one day, and kill us.. I ain’t gonna lie, I hate em. But I didn’t kill the kid”He insisted as he looked at me but I just glared,

“If you didn’t, who did?”Hancock asked, and Rex sighed, “Look.. When I was a kid.. My father was replaced by a Synth, but he was like one of those ones like in the Broken Mask shit, he wasn’t made right or somethin’.. He killed my mother, and almost got me too, but my older brother, Richie, he saved me. He hates Synths more than I do.. I came to visit him here in Diamond City, I told him I didn’t wanna stay in Sanctuary, that I couldn’t live in a place with those.. Things. Especially one that was a kid. It was too freaky.. When I woke up, Richie was gone.. Next I saw him he came back with some buddies of his.. Said they took care of it.. Look, I’m tellin’ the truth, I may hate Synths, but I’d never kill a kid..Human or otherwise..”Rex spoke looking towards me, He may not have killed him.. But he was the reason.

“So, where is this brother of yours?”Nick asked, “I don’t know exactly.. But I can tell you where he usually is..”Rex started, “He likes that place of yours, Goodneighbor,”He spoke as he looked to Hancock, “He says you guys got the bet Chems, and he really likes that Magnolia brod”I scoffed in a humorless laugh, “Jokes on him, Mags is a Synth.”I muttered, “Well..He really liked it there, he gets high off Jet, and listens to Magnolia sing, he always tries to hit on her, but hasn’t had any luck.. Him and his buddies tend to hang out there.” He told us, and I watched as Hancock walked over to me, helping me up from where I sat on the ground, “I ain’t uncuffing you until we’re outside that wall.”I scoffed slightly,

“Wouldn’t expect anything less.” Rex looked over slightly before looking back to Nick, “Listen.. If Rich ain’t in Goodneighbor.. There’s one other place.. He’s got a place up north, near that Museum of Witchcraft place.. There’s a house that’s in pretty great shape, it was our home as kids, with what happened we hadn’t gone back.. We were plannin’ on movin’ back there, but after what he did that.. I stayed here, so it’s likely if you ain’t got luck in Goodneighbor, they’re there.. You’ll know you’re at the right place if ya see an old blue motorcycle outside. Dad tried fixing it up when we were kids, and wasn’t a fan of red so he painted it blue, he was replaced before he could finish, we kept it around in memory of him.”Nick nodded as Grace wrote it down, looking over at me,  
“Do..Do you think you could mark an accurate location on our friend’s Pip-Boy map?”She asked, and I looked over, “Uh, yeah, sure.” Hancock looked to me and turned me around gently, unlatching the Pip-Boy from my wrist, handing it to Nick.

Goodneighbor ended up being a bust, and the walk up north would take a while, we were currently taking camp in an old house, we were about 3 hours away from the Museum of Witchcraft.. I didn’t want to stop walking, I needed to find these bastards now. I sat up off the couch and looked over to Hancock who was asleep, leaning on the wall in the living room, Nick and Grace were upstairs. I stood slowly, pulling my boots on, and covering them with my jeans, pulling on my coat I grabbed my shotgun, and ‘Glory’. I snuck out the back door and made my way to the Museum, it was currently 4 am, so by time I made it there everyone would be waking up.

In the night there were more creatures, but my black coat made it easier for me to blend in, and sneak around. I mostly stuck to the road, only straying when I needed to. I noticed the Museum, I went there with Alex, so even if anyone used a relay, they wouldn’t be much closer than the Slog, and that was still at least a 2 hour walk. I looked at my map to where the house was and saw I was getting close, turning down a road I saw the blue bike, the trip had taken me a bit longer with the sneaking around creatures, and it was 7:39, and I could hear movement in the house. I walked up and pounded on the door, I heard sounds of curses in shock of the sudden noise, a man swung the door open, and was met with the barrel of my shotgun.

After Ellie disappeared everyone made their way to her as fast as they could, but by time they’d reached the house Rex had told them about, it was a total blood bath. Guy at the front door’s brains all over, and the other two had been beaten and stabbed to death, there was blood all over the place, but Ellie was nowhere to be seen.No one knew where she’d gone, Hancock headed back to Goodneighbor then Diamond City, and Vault 81 while Grace, and Nick headed up to Sanctuary. Apparently Alex knew where to get an old Vertibird, and was gonna head out for that using one of the relay grenades Ellie left behind in her bag. Hancock had people searching for Ellie, connections he had got in touch with their connections, all for any clue they could give on the blonde. Nick searched every inch of the settlements Eleanor had built with the Minutemen, asking every settler if they had seen her, but no one had seen her. Grace bit her thumb nail nervously as she asked around Diamond City more for any updates, but still turned up with nothing, “Oh, Ellie… What’re did you run off to…”

Alex hovered close over the Common in his vertibird in search of Ellie when he saw someone walking near the ruins of the Boston Airport. He landed the bird and hopped out of it, running towards the figure as she turned around. Alex pulled Ellie into a tight hug, “Atom above, El, we’ve all been worried sick.”Alex muttered as he pulled away, looking at her. Her shotgun was holstered over her back, and she held her large bowie knife that was caked in dry blood, her t shirt was torn and soaked in blood, her coat was missing and revealed cuts and bruises all over her body, she had cracked, dry blood all over her, her face was no different, her hair matted to her skin with the blood as glue, her hair was stuck together in chunks of dried blood. “You look like Hell.” Ellie hummed slightly, “Yeah, I just got back..”She muttered and Alex gave a slight chuckle, “Are you going to come home, El.. Or you plan on wondering all over the Common first?” Ellie looked up at him with a slight nod, “I want to go home”Alex nodded,

“Alright, get on board, I’m gonna fly us back to Sanctuary and-” “No. I want to go _home_. To Goodneighbor.”She declared and Alex nodded slightly, “Alright, Alright.. The mayor is more than likely there anyways, I’m sure he’ll be the first to want to see you.. But before that, you should wash up”He chuckled slightly, and Ellie nodded as she followed him onto the Vertibird.  
  
  
“Hey, El, you done in there? You got awful quiet.”Alex spoke as he knocked on Ellie’s door before opening it to see Ellie in fresh clothes, hair still wet she was packing everything in her room, “Wait, El, What’re you doing?”He asked as he made his way over quickly, “I’m leaving.” “What?! You can’t just leave.”Ellie looked over with eyes a dull shade of blue, much different from her usual bright blue-green hazel eyes, “I can, and I will. I can’t stay here anymore, Alex. There’s… There’s too much pain. I lost everything here. My husband, my son, my whole life..”She shook her head, and continued to pack, “I can’t be here anymore.” Alex sighed and grabbed her hands to stop her,

"Look, El..I understand. I do, I left DC with the Brotherhood because.. Well, I lost everything there, too. I know how you feel, believe me. I was raised in a Vault. My mother died in childbirth.. My father broke out when I was 19.. A close family friend who was like an uncle to me was killed.. I went looking for my father, leaving behind my best friend and.. My first love. Everything. After _months_ of searching, I _finally_ found him.. I wanted to help him, and… Well, he died. Sacrificed himself to save a project to purify the water in the Wasteland.. But it didn’t work out, people tried to stop us. I couldn’t… _Wouldn’t_ let my father die in vain. He had flooded the room with high radiation, and if anyone wanted to activate it.. It meant dying.. I was going to do it myself but.. My partner, she.. She wouldn’t let me. She shoved me out and locked herself in the room.. And she died. So, I get it. I lost my mother, my father, left my life behind, and then lost the woman I loved.. The Brotherhood gave me a purpose.. And once it was destroyed, _you_ gave me a new purpose in actually helping those in the Common.”

Ellie sighed slightly, looking away, but Alex gently cupped her cheeks, pulling her to look at him, moving his hands down to hold her shoulders in plac. “I lost everything, but that doesn’t mean I can’t build up my everything again. And I did. Here. Because of you.”Ellie looked up at him, “Yeah, and how long did that take you..?”Alex chuckled slightly, “11 years..”Ellie chuckled slightly, “Oh, is that all?”Alex chuckled with her and let out a sigh as he let her go. “Time away was good for me.. Maybe”He sighed again, “Maybe leaving is best..but Ellie, the people of the Common need you” Ellie shook her head, “I’m done leading… I’m in no state to do so”Alex nodded slightly, and looked to her bed, “And what about John?”Ellie looked up slowly as she closed the suitcase she packed. “I want to go now, Alex..”Alex sighed, “If you’re really going to leave.. I can’t let you go all alone.. Come with me, I’ve been thinking we could use a vacation for a while now..Maybe Vegas, where ever we decide to go.. I’ll be by your side”Ellie looked up,

“Sounds like a plan to me.”  
  
  
I heard word that Ellie was seen in town when I met up with Nick and Grace in Diamond City, and headed back as soon as we were was told, We raced through town, and up the stairs of the apartment building into her apartment… but she wasn’t there. No one had seen her leave, Only come in with Alex. I walked into her room and saw her dresser drawers pulled out, and it looked mostly empty in the room side from a folded up paper on her bed. I heard Nick sigh slightly and felt Grace gently place a hand on my shoulder as I stared down as the paper.

“I’m Sorry,John.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end, I'm sorry ;-;  
> I am writing a second, and even planning on third book, but I take forever to do things.  
> If you actually enjoyed my book and want more  
> I'm sorry I'm slow  
> But I promise, the story isn't over yet..  
> Till then buh-bye


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